When is the Europa League quarter-final draw and who Rangers could face?

The Europa League knockout stages are in full swing with the last-16 second legs set to be wrapped up on Thursday. Eight teams will then qualify for the quarter-finals, with two British clubs still remaining in the competition as of writing.

Rangers have the advantage over opponents Red Star Belgrade going into their round of 16 second leg with a 3-0 aggregate score over the Serbian side.

Fellow Brits West Ham United however don’t share the same fortune as the Light Blues, with the Hammers having to turn around a 1-0 aggregate score against Sevilla at the London Stadium on Thursday.

Let’s take a look at when the last eight of the Europa League will be drawn and who Rangers could face.

Date and time of the draw

The quarter-final draw will take place on Friday, March 18 at 12:30pm UK time in UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw will be the last of the competition with the route to the semi-finals and final also decided on this date.

Confirmed quarter-final teams

Leipzig are the only confirmed team in the last eight after their round of 16 two-legged fixture against Spartak Moscow was postponed and the Bundesliga club were given a bye.

This decision was made following FIFA and UEFA suspending Russian clubs and its national team from all competitions after the countries’ invasion of Ukraine.

Draw details and potential opponents for Rangers

The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Europa League will not be seeded, as a result clubs from the same country can be drawn against each other, with home and away legs based on the order each team is drawn.

That could mean, if the Light Blues and West Ham reach the last eight of the competition, we might see a battle between the two remaining British teams in the next stage.

There are 10 other potential quarter-final opponents who Rangers could face, excluding Leipzig, the Hammers and Seville, with Galatasaray, Barcelona, Leverkusen, Atalanta, Monaco, Braga, Frankfurt, Real Betis, Lyon and Porto all possibilities, depending one who has the higher aggregate score over two legs.

How the other games stand

The Light Blues currently have the biggest aggregate advantage of any team going into the second leg games. Here’s how the other fixtures stand heading into Thursday’s last eight deciders.

Galatasaray v Barcelona (0-0 aggregate score)

Leverkusen v Atalanta (2-3 aggregate score)

Monaco v Braga (0-2 aggregate score)

Frankfurt v Real Betis (2-1 aggregate score)

Lyon v Porto (1-0 aggregate score)

ive on BT Sport, while you can also stream it via the UEFA website and BT Sport website.