Unai Emery: 'Sevilla thrive in Europa League'

Unai Emery has claimed that his Sevilla side are thriving as the holders after they booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

A 2-1 win over Villarreal on Thursday night handed them a 5-1 aggregate success in the last-16 tie, and Emery is certain that his players are relishing the biggest occasions.

"We wanted to push the match in a way that we would become stronger as it wound onwards," he told Gol TV. "We lacked a bit of control - and the late absence of Ever Banega hurt us - but we stayed focused and waited for our chances to come.

"We hope to continue growing within Sevilla, continuing our evolution. The players are eager to grow as footballers and take the next step. These are the sort of games that we go into with great enthusiasm.

"We thrive in it and we're very happy right now. We don't care who we draw in the last eight in particular; we'll prepare for whoever we get and let the hype lift us."

Sevilla will meet Villarreal once again when the two sides return to La Liga action on Sunday.