English trio avoid each other in last eight draw
442 Staff - Friday 15 March 2013, 12:41
European champions Chelsea were left contemplating a long
trip to Russia's Rubin Kazan in their second leg following the Europa
League quarter-final draw on Friday.
Lazio
and Fenerbahce, who have both been in trouble with UEFA over fan
behaviour, were paired in another tie while Tottenham Hotspur, the only
one of the quarter-finalists to have won the trophy, face FC Basel with
the first leg in London.
Former
European champions Benfica were drawn against Newcastle United, the
third English Premier League side still in the competition. None are
left in the Champions League.
"It's a great draw for us," Newcastle manager Alan Pardew told the club's official website.
"The
Estadio da Luz is a great venue. I've been there and it's a fantastic
stadium. Importantly, we are at home in the second leg and that will
give us an advantage."
Rubin Kazan chief Kamil Iskhakov said Chelsea should expect a warm welcome in Russia.
"I must say I'm very happy with such a draw," Iskhakov was quoted as saying by local media.
"First
of all, I'm a good friend with [Chelsea's billionaire owner] Roman
Abramovich from our days together when he was a governor of Chukotka and
I was the Russian President's envoy for the Far East region," he said.
"So I'm a big fan of Chelsea, after Rubin of course."
Rubin,
who played their two previous Europa League home games at Moscow's
Luzhniki Stadium because the grass pitch in Kazan was in poor condition,
will host the London club at Kazan's 27,000-seat Central Stadium,
Iskhakov said.
Fenerbahce, at
home in the first leg against Lazio, had to stage their last 16 second
leg against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday behind closed doors after their
fans set off fireworks during a previous home match against BATE
Borisov.
Serie A side Lazio
will play the second leg in an empty stadium in Rome as they complete a
two-match sanction for racist behaviour Of fans, poor organisation and
firework-throwing during the group stage match against Borussia
Monchengladbach.
It was Lazio's fourth racism offence this season.
Draw for the Europa League quarter-finals made in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday:
Chelsea v Rubin Kazan
Tottenham Hotspur v Basel
Fenerbahce v Lazio
Benfica v Newcastle United
First legs to be played on April 4, second legs April 11