Liverpool vs Leverkusen in Europa League

Switzerland Liverpool meet Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen face West Ham in the quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 Europa League, after the draw in Nyon on the evening of March 15.

In the semi-finals, the winner of the Liverpool-Atalanta tie will face the winner of the Benfica-Marseille tie. In the other bracket, Bayer Leverkusen will face West Ham while AC Milan will face compatriots AS Roma.

With their ties in different brackets, Liverpool and Leverkusen could create a "dream" final. The two top candidates are at a slight disadvantage in the quarterfinals, having to play away in the second leg. The first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals takes place on April 11, with the return leg a week later.

Europa League quarter-final draw results. The team that scores first plays the first leg at home. Photo: Reuters — Europa League quarter-final draw results. The team that scores first plays the first leg at home. Photo: *Reuters*

Of the eight teams that have advanced, only Liverpool and Leverkusen have ever won the Europa League, the predecessor of the UEFA Cup. Benfica and Marseille have both lost three finals, while Roma have also lost two title matches. The remaining teams, Milan, Atalanta and West Ham, have never reached the final of the competition.

In the round of 16, Liverpool were at their best, crushing Sparta Prague 11-2 on aggregate. Leverkusen were 2-0 down in both legs but showed their mettle to win 5-4 on aggregate. Xabi Alonso's side are unbeaten in 37 games this season and have reached the Europa League quarter-finals for the second year in a row.

West Ham, before playing Leverkusen, had just beaten another German team, Freiburg, 5-1 on aggregate. The three Serie A representatives, Roma, Milan and Atalanta, were all eliminated in the Champions League but all advanced in the Europa League. Roma and Milan, before facing each other in the quarter-finals, both easily beat Brighton and Slavia Prague.

According to one British bookmaker, Liverpool have the highest odds of winning the title, at 6/5 (bet 5, win 6), followed by Leverkusen at 10/3. Milan are at 6/1, and the remaining teams all have the chance to return 10 times their stake or more if they win the title.

Vy Anh

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