Juventus have been paired with Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Europa League after the draw was conducted earlier today.
The Italian side, who are currently 14 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, are favourites to win the competition, and Antonio Conte's side are likely to be happy with their draw against the French team, who are sitting in fifth in Ligue 1.
Elsewhere in the draw, Valencia were paired with Swiss club Basel, Porto face a stern test against Sevilla, while Benfica, conquerors of Tottenham Hotspur, will play AZ Alkmaar.
Read below to see how the action unfolded in Nyon.
Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's coverage of the quarter-final draw for the Europa League.
There's no time for introductions - the draw is ready to get underway in Nyon. Here we go!
AZ vs. Benfica
Lyon vs. Juventus
Basel vs. Valencia
Porto vs. Sevilla
So, there we have it. The tie that jumps off the page is the encounter between Lyon and Juventus, but Porto and Sevilla has the potential to be a cracker too!
The ties will be played on April 3 and April 10, with the winners progressing through to the last four of the competition later in April.
Juventus are undoubtedly the favourites to win the competition and everyone will be delighted to avoid them in the last eight. Lyon have drawn the short straw, and given that they are only fifth in their domestic league, they won't be expected to cause the Serie A outfit any problems. However, surprises happen, and Lyon have enjoyed plenty of memorable European occasions over the past decade.
Benfica showed during their two fixtures with Tottenham Hotspur that they had the quality to brush past any opponent, and they will certainly fancy their chances against Dutch side AZ. Alkmaar struggled to overcome a very limited Anzhi Makhachkala side, and although they kept two clean sheets, they will face a sterner test against the Portuguese giants.
Basel's tie with Valencia and Porto's encounter with Sevilla are likely to be the two matches in which the result could go either way. After their Champions League double over Chelsea, Basel can no longer be considered as European minnows, so Valencia will need to produce a solid performance to negotiate that test. Porto are marginal favourites to beat Sevilla, but the Spanish side showed against Real Betis in the last 16 that they don't know when they are beaten after coming back from a two-goal first-leg deficit to beat Real Betis on penalties.
Written by
Darren Plant
Darren Plant
