What to expect in the Europa League quarterfinals and how to watch the first leg matches

The Europa League has reached its quarterfinal stage, barreling onward towards the final in Warsaw in May. The eight teams left in the competition have all fought tooth and nail to get this far, and all four of the matchups should prove quite entertaining. Will all three one-time Europa League winners make it through? Who will get upset? What’s going to be the craziest moment of the round in an always-eccentric competition? Today, we start to find out the answers to those questions.

3:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local,TV & Online stream listings

Arguably the most exciting of the quarterfinal matchups, the tie between high-flying German side Wolfsburg and slumping one-time UEFA Cup champions Napoli should prove to be a wonderfully competitive battle. The aggressive counter attack and quality set pieces that Wolfsburg get through Kevin De Bruyne, Bas Dost, and company is well suited to exploit Napoli’s defensive frailties, but when Napoli attack gets rolling at it’s full capability, it’s incredibly hard to stop. Napoli hasn’t been playing well lately, but with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina at the weekend, they might be rounding back in to form at the perfect time.

3:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local,TV & Online stream listings

The defending Europa League champions are faced with a stern test in their efforts to defend their title. Sevilla have done very well to overcome every challenge that’s been thrown at them so far in this competition, earning some impressive wins along the way, but Zenit represent a challenge that they will find difficult to surpass. The Russian giants are uber-talented, anchored by international star-level talents like Axel Witsel, Hulk, and Salomon Rondon among others, and Sevilla have struggled against that level of quality when faced with it against the best sides in La Liga. They’ll be using their home field advantage to the fullest extent they can, hoping to build a big first-leg lead before the difficulty of playing in Russia next week.

3:05 p.m. ET, 10:05 p.m. local,TV & Online stream listings

Nobody expected either of these teams to make it through their last round, but Kyiv ran Everton off the pitch at home and Fiorentina hammered Roma on the road to upset the odds. While no one would name either side a favorite to make the final in Warsaw, much less win it, both have been wildly entertaining to watch in these knockout rounds and have definitely earned their place in the quarterfinal. While most people’s eyes will be on the Wolgsburg or Sevilla matches, this tie could wind up the most entertaining of the round given how much advancement would mean to these two sides.

3:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local,TV & Online stream listings

Two more underdogs and two more surprise quarterfinal entrants, Dnipro and Club Brugge shocked much bigger opponents in the round of 16 to make it this far. Make no mistake, though -- these teams deserve to be here. While the Ukrainian and Belgian sides have been often overlooked by Europa League observers, these are both very good teams that play organized, quality football and have put in excellent performances throughout this competition. While they may not play the open-ended, eye-popping football that many people enjoy, they play focused and effectively, and it’s incredibly satisfying to watch them succeed. Sadly, one one of these two teams will make the semi-finals, but at least you know they’ll both leave everything on the pitch by the time we know which team it will be.