Europa League draws: Osimhen to face Barcelona, Aribo against Haaland

The draws for the knockout stages of the Europa League have been made, and Nigerian players are in the mix of it all.

After a strong end to their Europa League group stage which saw Rangers go unbeaten in their last four fixtures, the Gers secured a second-place berth.

However, it won’t be any easier for Rangers, as they’ve drawn Borrusia Dortmund in the knockout stages. Nigeria internationals Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey will look to be in top shape when Erling Haaland comes to town as they look to progress at the expense of their German counterparts.

Also, Ziadu Sanusi will have his work cut out when Porto play Lazio. The Portuguese side were knocked out of the Champions League, after a feisty 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid and it all but meant that they would have to make do with Europa League football.

Lazio hitman Ciro Immobile would look to add to his goal tally when they visit Porto, but he would have to go through Sanusi first.

Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen would pay a visit to the Camp Nou when Napoli visit Barcelona. The 22-year-old Nigerian striker would look to give the Blaugrana faithful a semblance of the torture that Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski had given them in the past.

Other draws are:

Sevilla Vs Dinako Zagreb

Atalanta Vs Olympiacos

Leipzig Vs Real Sociedad

Zenith Vs Real Betis

Sheriff Vs Braga.

Meanwhile, the draws for the Europa Conference League took place soon after the Europa League draws were made.

Danish side Midtjylland will trade tackles with PAOK. Both sides have Nigerians in their books, although Anderson Esiti is more of a peripheral figure with the Greek side.

Frank Onyedika will look to show his dominance in midfield when his side faces the former Champions of Greece.

Also, Leicester’s trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman will look to pick up the pieces of their campaign on the continent when they square off against Stephen Odey’s Randers.

The Foxes were eliminated from the Europa League after a final day 3-2 loss to Napoli, but they would fancy their chances of claiming a major Silverware this season, but before they can dream big, they would have to deal with the Randers issues.

Elsewhere, Peter Olayinka’s Slavia Prague would have to battle against Fenerbahce for a spot in the next round. The former Turkish Champions haven’t been outstanding this season, and Olayinka would look to wreak havoc when his Prague side goes up against the Yellow Canaries.

Other fixtures in the Conference League are:

Rapid Wien vs Tottenham Hotspur

Midtjylland vs PAOK

Sparta Prague vs Partizan Belgrade

Celtic vs Bodo Glimt

Leicester City vs Randers

Fenerbahce vs Slavia Prague

PSV Eindhoven vs Maccabi Tel Aviv

Marseille vs Qarabag.