%202.png)
.png)
By BRIAN LEE
|
Europa League draw - selected ties
Sparta Prague v Chelsea
Tottenham v Lyon
Newcastle v Metalist Kharkiv
Zenit St Petersburg v Liverpool
Scroll down for the full last-32 draw and the round of 16
Chelsea have been drawn against Sparta Prague in the last 32 of the Europa League.
The Champions League holders, who finished third in their group behind Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk as they tried to defend their European crown, play the first leg away against the Czech side.
It will be a return to his former club for Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Ajax or Steaua Bucharest will be waiting for the winners in the last 16 following both draws in Nyon on Thursday afternoon.
Liverpool travel to Russia for the second time this season after being drawn against Zenit St Petersburg.
The Reds, winners of Europe's secondary competition in 1973, 1976 and 2001, topped Group A ahead of Anzhi Makhachkala on goal difference.
If Brendan Rodgers steers the Merseysiders through, it will be Dnipro or Basel next.
Humbled: Chelsea won the Champions League but slipped down to the Europa League six months later
Dutch of class: Patrick Kluivert pulls out Chelsea during the Europa League draw
Main man: Luis Suarez (left) helped Liverpool top their group ahead of Udinese, Young Boys and Anzhi
What are the chances...
Chelsea 8/1
Tottenham 14/1
Liverpool 16/1
Newcastle 33/1
Tottenham 14/1
Liverpool 16/1
Newcastle 33/1
Best odds available on the English teams (supplied by oddschecker.co.uk)
Tottenham have been paired with French big guns Lyon with the first leg in north London while Newcastle are at home first after being pulled out with Metalist Kharkiv. The Magpies then face a long flight for the return in one of the stadium's used at Euro 2012.
Spurs winger Gareth Bale tweeted: 'Not an easy draw but a trip to Lyon should be good fun for our fans.'
A victory for Spurs and they will play Inter Milan in the last 16 if the Italian giants see off Cluj. Bale scored a hat-trick against Inter in a 4-3 defeat in the Champions League two years ago and ripped them apart in a 3-1 triumph at home.
Tottenham general secretary Darren Eales expects a tough clash with Lyon.
'It's a tough draw and this is the first time in nine years they've not been in the Champions League,' Eales told Sky Sports News.
Action packed: The full Europa League draw shown on television
Watching brief: Figo, Inter Milan's ambassador, could see his club face Tottenham in the last 16
Holders: Atletico Madrid lifted the trophy last year after beating fellow Spaniards Athletic Bilbao
'There are a lot of tough teams in the draw. We can ask Hugo (Lloris, Tottenham's former Lyon goalkeeper) the way to go and I think he will be excited about the chance to go back to his old team and play there.
'If we do get Inter if we do get through, two years ago in the Champions League when Gareth Bale got that wonderful hat-trick - that's an exciting game but we have to think about Lyon first.'
And Eales believes Villas-Boas has what it takes to lead Spurs to the European title after he engineered a win for former club Porto during a treble-winning first season in charge which saw his side also lift the Portuguese Cup and win the Primeira Liga.
Hard going: Andre Villas-Boas sometimes found it hard to watch as Spurs finished second in Group J
Eyes on the prize: Amsterdam will host the Europa League final next year
He's got the pedigree so hopefully he can do what he did with Porto two years ago and we can go al the way to (the final in) Amsterdam,' he said.
'We want to be playing in European competition. We don't see why we can't have a successful Europa League campaign and do well in the league.'
Alan Pardew admitted Newcastle's adventure in Ukraine will be a trip into the dark.
Asked what he knew about their next opponents, Pardew said: 'Not much, really. I do know it's a long journey, I've had a look at that, and they won their group, so it's a tough agenda for us.
'It's a tough draw in terms of travel; the opposition, I know very little about. I can't even comment on that until such time as we do some studying.'
Anzhi or Hannover will be waiting for the winners of Newcastle's tie.
Holders Atletico Madrid take on Rubin Kazan while former Ajax striker Patrick Kluivert pulled his old club out against Steaua Bucharest.
EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW - ROUND OF 32
BATE vs Fenerbahce
Inter Milan vs CFR Cluj-Napoca
Levante vs Olympiacos
Zenit St Petersburg vs Liverpool
Dynamo Kiev vs Bordeaux
Bayer Leverkusen vs Benfica
Newcastle vs FC Metalist Kharkiv
VfB Stuttgart vs Genk
Atletico Madrid vs Rubin Kazan
Ajax vs Steaua Bucuresti
Basle vs Dnipro
Anzhi Makhachkala vs Hannover 96
Sparta Prague vs Chelsea
Borussia M'gladbach vs Lazio
Tottenham vs Lyon
Napoli v Plzen
First legs to be played on February 14, second legs on February 21
EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW - ROUND OF 16
Napoli/Plzen vs BATE/Fenerbahce
Bayer Leverkusen/Benfica vs Dynamo Kiev/Bordeaux
Anzhi Mackhachkala/Hannover 96 vs Newcastle/FC Metalist Kharkiv
VfB Stuttgart/Genk vs Borussia M'gladbach/Lazio
Tottenham/Lyon vs Inter Milan/CFR Cluj-Napoca
Levante/Olympiacos vs Atletico Madrid/Rubin Kazan
Basle/Dnipro vs Zenit St Petersburg/Liverpool
Ajax/Steaua Bucuresti vs Sparta Prague/Chelsea
First legs to be played on March 7, second legs on March 14
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2251073/Europa-League-draw-Chelsea-face-Sparta-Prague-Liverpool-land-Zenit-Spurs-Lyon-Newcastle-face-Metalist.html#ixzz2Fd7r2p3F
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
