Sporting handed Newcastle test

Sporting Clube de Portugal's quest to reach the UEFA Cup final on home soil at their Estádio José Alvalade will continue with a quarter-final tie against Newcastle United FC following today's draw for the latter stages in Nyon, Switzerland.

Leading scorer
Sporting eliminated Middlesbrough FC last night, winning 4-2 on aggregate, and face a stern test against another Premiership side in the last eight. If Newcastle are to emulate past glory - having won the UEFA Cup's predecessor, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in 1969 - Alan Shearer's goals will be crucial. The former England forward is the UEFA Cup's ten-goal leading scorer.

Former winners
The only former winners remaining are Parma FC, triumphant in 1995 and 1999. They ended Sevilla FC's challenge in the Round of 16 and will now have to overcome FK Austria Wien as they attempt to become the fourth team to win the competition three times, following FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC and Liverpool FC.

Tie to conclude
The FC Steaua Bucuresti-Villarreal CF tie will conclude on Sunday following the postponement of the first leg last week. The winners will advance to a game against AZ Alkmaar, losing finalists in 1981. The final tie pits Russia's sole remaining representative PFC CSKA Moskva against French counterparts AJ Auxerre.

Lisbon final
The quarter-finals begin on 7 April and conclude the following week. The four successful teams already know their semi-final opponents, with matches to be played on 28 April and 5 May. The Portuguese capital will be braced for an influx of fans as it has the honour of staging the 18 May showpiece.

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Match kick-off times will be communicated at a later date.