Sevilla head to Russia while Wolfsburg face Napoli

NYON (Switzerland): Europa League holders Sevilla need to seal victory in Russia to keep their defence on track after the Spanish side were drawn to play Zenit St Petersburg in the quarter-finals on Friday.

In-form Bundesliga side Wolfsburg host Napoli in the first leg of their last- eight matchup while Dynamo Kiev await another Italian side Fiorentina.

Wolfsburg, who lie second in the German top f light, and fourth-placed Serie A outf it Napoli have never met previously in European competition.

The 2009 German champions enjoyed their best r un in the competition in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals, while Napoli memorably won the former UEFA Cup in 1989 when Diego Maradona inspired them to a 5-4 aggregate victory over Stuttgart.

Finally Club Brugge face a tricky task as they were drawn to take on Ukraine's Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

T he f i rst leg was i n it ia l ly drawn that the first leg would be played in the U kraine but UEFA reversed the decision and decided Brugge will host the f irst match because Dynamo Kiev are at home to Fiorentina the same night.

Teams from Russia and U kraine were kept apart in the draw, following a ruling by UEFA over the ongoing unrest in the region.

Sevilla, who crushed domest ic r iva ls Vi l la r rea l 5 - 2 on aggregate to reach the last eight, have met the 2 0 0 8 winners four times including a quarter-final triumph in 2006 when they went on to win the UEFA Cup.

Sevilla have beaten opposition from U kraine three times in four matches while Zenit have not beaten a Spanish team in their last seven fixtures and have won just twice in 14 matchups against Liga opposition.

Sevilla's technical secretary Oscar Arias admitted it was a tough draw for the team who also won the tournament in 2007.

"At this stage, the sides in the draw deserve to be there and Zenit are one of the strongest sides in the draw," he said.

"It wi l l be a ver y open but difficult game and we know we have to travel a long way, and that's a handicap, but that's the way the draw has worked out and it cannot be an excuse.

"Zenit are a European outfit and have Spaniards like Javi García. Jose Rondon also played in the Liga. They are a powerful side with some very good players. Andre Villas-Boas has a squad full of quality," he added.

The first leg will be in Sevilla.

Dnipro coach Myron Markevych insisted his team must show Brugge plenty of respect after they were drawn against the Belgian outsiders.

"It 's r id icu lous to say t hat Brugge is a good draw for us. This is a very strong, classy team that plays great attacking football and got past Besiktas so easily which says a lot," said the coach.

"Now we have to start studying our next opponents. We'll watch their matches and prepare for the upcoming tie. Dnipro should be prepared in the best possible manner as there are no weak teams at this stage. We are happy to be among the last eight but we must try to achieve more."

First leg matches wil l be played April 16 with the return fixtures on April 23. The semifinals are set for May 7 and 14 with the final scheduled for Warsaw on May 27. - AFP