Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Luton Town - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - February 21, 2024 Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Jayden Danns REUTERS/Molly Darlington/File photo
(Reuters) -Premier League leaders Liverpool have drawn Czech side Sparta Prague in the last 16 of the Europa League, while Bundesliga front-runners Bayer Leverkusen will play Azerbaijan's Qarabag.
Europa Conference League holders West Ham United will face German side Freiburg and last season's runners-up AS Roma play Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton & Hove Albion.
Spain's Villarreal, the 2020-21 champions, were paired with French Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille in the draw held in Nyon, Switzerland.
Italy's AC Milan have drawn Slavia Prague, Portuguese league leaders Benfica will play Scottish Premiership table-toppers Rangers and Portuguese side Sporting face Serie A's Atalanta in the other ties.
The Europa Conference League draw was also made on Friday, with Aston Villa set to face Ajax Amsterdam. This is Villa's first season in Europe since the 2010-11 campaign.
Sparta Prague v Liverpool
Olympique de Marseille v Villarreal
AS Roma v Brighton & Hove Albion
Benfica v Rangers
Freiburg v West Ham United
Sporting v Atalanta
AC Milan v Slavia Prague
Qarabag v Bayer Leverkusen
The first legs will be played on March 7, except for Sporting v Atalanta, who will play their first-leg match on March 5. The second legs will be played on March 14.
*Team mentioned first will host the first leg
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha and Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis and Alexander Smith)
