UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw
Friday, February 22, 2019
Article summary
Plum ties include Chelsea v Dynamo Kyiv, Frankfurt v Inter and Arsenal v Rennes.
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UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw
Chelsea v Dynamo Kyiv
Frankfurt v Inter
Dinamo Zagreb v Benfica
Napoli v Salzburg
Valencia v Krasnodar
Sevilla v Slavia Praha
Arsenal v Rennes*
Zenit v Villarreal
The teams drawn first (on the left) will play at home in the first leg. *This tie has been switched, with Arsenal at home in the second leg. Fixtures take place on 7 and 14 March.
Draw facts
- Zenit overcame Villarreal in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 32 en route to lifting the trophy that season. The Russian side won 1-0 at home prior to a 2-1 defeat in Spain which meant they progressed on away goals.
- Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Čech – who will retire at the end of this season – played for Rennes for two seasons, 2002/03 and 2003/04.
- Chelsea v Dynamo Kyiv will be of special interest to Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko, the celebrated striker who played for both clubs during his illustrious playing career.
- Frankfurt v Inter is the only tie involving two former winners. The German side lifted the trophy in 1980 and Inter managed three titles in eight seasons in the 1990s.
- Sevilla and Slavia Praha met in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage, the Spanish side winning 4-2 at home and 3-0 in the Czech capital.
Were there any draw restrictions?
There was no seeding or country protection, though based on decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn together.
Road to the final
7 March: Round of 16, first leg
14 March: Round of 16, second leg
15 March: Quarter-final & semi-final draw
11 April: Quarter-finals, first leg
18 April: Quarter-finals, second leg
2 May: Semi-finals, first leg
9 May: Semi-finals, second leg
Wednesday 29 May: Final – Olympic Stadium, Baku