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Europa League draw IN FULL: West Ham meet Sevilla as Rangers travel to Serbia
WEST HAM and Rangers are bidding to bring success back to British shores, though face tricky opponents in the knockout round.
The Europa League draw for the round of 16 has been completed and a series of tantalising match-ups have been made. Rangers, following their historic two-legged victory over Borussia Dortmund, have emerged as one of the favourites to go all the way this season but must overcome an arduous two-legged duel against Red Star Belgrade.
the Scottish titans were not seeded heading into the last 16 of the competition, just like Spanish royalty Barcelona.
David Moyes' West Ham United were the only seeded British side remaining in the Europa League after topping their group, and joined the likes of Red Star Belgrade, Eintracht Frankfurt, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen, Lyon, Monaco and Spartak Moscow.
The Hammers are hopeful of pulling off something special this season, but took a dent to the confidence after being drawn out of the hat against Sevilla - the competition's most successful side.
Football royalty Barcelona find themselves in unfamiliar territory in the Europa League this season, but are still very much determined to bring the silverware back to Catalonia. Xavi's side have been paired against Galatasaray, in a fixture which is poised to conjure quite a remarkable atmosphere over two legs.
Another eye-catching fixture sees two European heavyweights, FC Porto and Lyon, do battle.
In terms of scheduling, the first legs of the last-16 ties will be played on March 10, with the return fixtures a week later on March 17. The final itself will take place in Seville on May 18.
RECAP EXPRESS SPORT'S FULL LIVE COVERAGE OF THE DRAW BELOW
KEY EVENTS
The draw in full
Rangers vs Red Star Belgrade
FC Braga vs Monaco
Porto vs Lyon
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen
Sevilla vs West Ham
Barcelona vs Galatasaray
RB Leipzig vs Spartak Moscow
Real Betis vs Eintracht Frankfurt
Feeling the pressure, Hammers?
Perhaps not the draw a certain Mr Moyes was after, with West Ham being paired against the most successful side in the history of the competition...
RB Leipzig to face Spartak Moscow
Pairing made because of the conditions of the remaining teams in the draw
Sevilla to face West Ham United!
Record title holders Sevilla are bidding to reach yet another final, this time in their own city. David Moyes' men now stand in their way!
FC Porto to face Lyon
Twice winners Porto will lock horn with French royalty Lyon in a heavyweight clash
Play-off winners to be drawn first
This includes Rangers and Barcelona. Teams will be picked out against group winners.
Here we go!
Here we go!
Deputy General Secretary of UEFA, Giorgio Marchetti takes to the stage to open proceedings.
First up, thoughts of solidarity are offered to the people of Ukraine by Marchetti amid the unfolding events with Russia.
He is now joined on stage by former Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop - who won this competition three times during his career.
Key dates for the diary
March 10 & 17: Round of 16
March 18 (12pm UK time): Quarter-final & Semi-final draw
April 7 &14: Quarter-finals
April 18 and May 5: Semi-finals
May 18: Final (Seville, Spain)
Can the men from Ibrox go all the way?
Rangers have already made quite the statement in this season's competition...
So, how does it work?
The eight sides who won their Europa League group will be seeded and drawn against the eight sides who won their play-off tie.
No team can play a club from their own country.
The sides who finished top of their Europa League groups will play the second leg of their last-16 tie at home.
Seeded and unseeded teams
Here's how the pots are looking...
Seeded (group winners)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
Galatasaray (Turkey)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Lyon (France)
Monaco (France)
Spartak Moscow (Russia)
West Ham (England)
Unseeded
Barcelona (Spain) Rangers (Scotland) Braga (Portugal) Real Betis (Spain) Atalanta (Italy) FC Porto (Portugal) RB Leipzig (Germany) Sevilla (Spain)
Good morning one and all
And welcome to Express Sport's coverage of the Europa League draw!
West Ham and Rangers fly the flag for Britain, as sides across the continent wait to learn their fate.
A potentially huge match-up with unseeded Barcelona is on the cards, and is of course the fixture everyone is keeping eyes peeled for.
The draw officially gets underway from 11 o'clock, at UEFA's Nyon headquarters in Switzerland.