And then there were four, as far as the 2015-16 UEFA Europa League goes.
UEFA conducted the Europa League semifinal draw Friday, pitting Liverpool against Villarreal in one matchup and Shakhtar Donetsk against Sevilla in the other.
The official result of the #UELdraw… pic.twitter.com/GeDWNNW07R
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 15, 2016
Liverpool and Villarreal have never met in an official UEFA competition.
The Reds on April 28 will visit Villarreal’s Estadio El Madrigal for the first leg of the two-game series. Anfield will host the second leg on May 5.
Fixtures, dates and times…#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/dPBhTxcUod
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 15, 2016
Liverpool booked its place in the last four by sensationally defeating Borussia Dortmund 4-3 on Thursday at Anfield in the second leg of their quarterfinal series.
The Reds’ have underpinned their dramatic flair with a steely consistency in Europe this season.
Liverpool are the only club to make it from the start of the #UEL group stage to matchday 11 unbeaten 💪https://t.co/frbCboN8zu
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 14, 2016
Jurgen Klopp’s team is attempting to win its first UEFA Cup/Europa League since 2001, but the opposition will be tough.
Villarreal appears to have fourth place in Spain’s La Liga (first division) locked up with just six games remaining in the domestic season. Sevilla sits seventh in the Spanish standings but has an unmatched Europa League pedigree, having won the competition in 2014 and 2015.
Shakhtar has lost its grip on domestic supremacy in Ukraine, but it’s in second place in the domestic Premier League amid ongoing conflict in the region.
Thumbnail photo via LiverpoolFC.com
