Europa League draw: only four teams left....

The Europa League semifinal draw happens at 12:30 Central European Time (that's 7:30 AM on the US East Coast, if I have my calculations correct).   The Champions League semifinal draw happens an hour before that.  It will be streamed on uefa.com, or you can catch it on Sky Sports in England and elsewhere I'm sure.

So, here's what happens now.  The four teams in the draw can be drawn against each other without restriction (so, yes, we could draw Sevilla) and as usual the team drawn first of the two hosts the first leg of the two-legged tie.

There is also--just for kicks--a draw to decide which of the winners of the two semifinal match will be the "home team" in the final.

So.....Villarreal are the only one of the four clubs who have never made it to the final of the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup.

Shaktar Donetsk is one of two Ukrainian clubs (Dynamo Kyiv being the other) to win a European competition; they won the UEFA Cup in 2009.

Liverpool of course have had a lot of European successes, including three UEFA Cups, though unless you're from my generation you may only remember the last one in 2001 against Alavés.  But, they also won in 1973, over Borussia Munchengladbach, and in 1976, over Club Brugge.  The finals in those days were two-legged affairs!

Sevilla are the defending Europa League champions, having won it the last two years, and have won it four times in all, more than any other club.  They also won the title in 2006, defeating Middlesborough 4-0 in the final, and in 2007, they defeated Espanyol on penalties to win their second trophy.

I think I speak for most Villarreal fans when I say we'd prefer to avoid a two-legged tie against Sevilla.  I personally would prefer to have the second leg at home.

The first leg of the semis will be April 28, the second, May 5.  Endavant Villarreal!!!