Europa League quarter-final draw: Borussia Dortmund meets Liverpool in Klopp reunion

The draw for the quarter-final stage of this season's Europa League was held Friday in Nyon, Switzerland, with an octet of balls drawn to reveal four matchups that, while obviously lacking the pizzazz of their Champions League brethren, should provide plenty of intrigue.

The showpiece in this term's last eight is Jurgen Klopp's return to Borussia Dortmund with Liverpool. The manager spent seven successful years with the west German outfit before leaving it in an emotional farewell last summer, and subsequently took the helm at Anfield in October. Der BVB eased past Tottenham Hotspur in the previous round and arguably pose the biggest threat of the tournament's remaining competitors.

An all-Spanish occasion was pulled out of the pot in Athletic Bilbao versus Sevilla. The two teams are based at opposite ends of the country, but in La Liga they are almost inseparable as fifth-placed Sevilla is just one point and one place better off than Bilbao. The Andalusians did trump the Basque club 2-0 back in January, though.

Here are the ties each side remaining in the tournament will need to traverse in order to reach the semi-finals.

Braga vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

• First leg: Thursday, April 7 (Estadio Municipal de Braga)
• Second leg: Thursday, April 14 (Arena Lviv)

Instant Analysis: Five years ago, Shakhtar Donetsk boasted some fine talent that has since secured lucrative transfers elsewhere. Douglas Costa, Willian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Fernandinho, and Alex Teixeira have all moved on, but the Miners will still be the favourite to topple Braga in a similar fashion to its impressive 4-1 aggregate defeat of Anderlecht in the Round of 16.

Villarreal vs. Sparta Prague

• First leg: Thursday, April 7 (Estadio El Madrigal)
• Second leg: Thursday, April 14 (Generali Arena)

Instant Analysis: Perhaps not the most stellar of contests on the continent, but one that could still provide plenty of talking points. Both sides put in some impressive performances in the previous stage - Villarreal turfing out Bayer Leverkusen and a Martin Frydek-inspired Sparta Prague demolishing a sorry Lazio - and will fancy their chances in reaching the final four.

Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla

• First leg: Thursday, April 7 (San Mames)
• Second leg: Thursday, April 14 (Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan)

Instant Analysis: This clash between the evenly matched Spanish rivals could be a belter. Sevilla's seeking its third straight season hoisting the trophy, and one player itching to get some minutes against his old club Athletic Bilbao will be Fernando Llorente, who has been quietly effective in his rare opportunities this season. It's the first time the two teams meet in Europe.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool

• First leg: Thursday, April 7 (Westfalenstadion)
• Second leg: Thursday, April 14 (Anfield)

Instant Analysis: It was never in doubt, was it? Jurgen Klopp will stand in front of the Yellow Wall at Borussia Dortmund once again, but this time his cap will don the badge of Liverpool. Expect a fast-paced encounter and rousing renditions of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from both sets of fans, but perhaps not the right result for the Reds. Last time the pair met in 2001, it ended 2-0 to Liverpool thanks to goals from Vladimir Smicer and Stephen Wright.