As the Europa League playoff round has now come to a close, West Ham United will be keen to discover who they will face in the last 16.
The Hammers automatically advanced to the last 16 after finishing top of Group H ahead of Dinamo Zagreb, Rapid Vienna and Genk, winning four and drawing one of their six group games.
David Moyes's men are now a seeded team for Friday's 11am draw in Nyon, along with the other seven group winners. The East Londoners will travel away for the first leg on March 10, before hosting the second leg at the London Stadium on March 17.
West Ham will be drawn against one of eight teams who successfully progressed from the playoff round, and here, Sports Mole takes a look at who they could come up against.
Barcelona (Spain)
The standout name who West Ham could face are Catalan giants Barcelona, a team competing in the Europa League for the very first time.
The last time that Barca competed in Europe's second-most prestigious club competition was back in the 2003-04 campaign when they lost 1-0 to Celtic in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.
Xavi's men failed to make it through the Champions League group stage earlier this season, finishing behind Bayern Munich and Benfica in Group E, but they managed to come through a challenging two-legged playoff tie against Napoli, with Thursday's 4-2 second-leg win in Italy sealing their passage through to the last 16, winning 5-3 on aggregate.
Hammers fans will be dreaming of an away trip to Camp Nou, though a potential draw against a resurgent Barcelona outfit would arguably be the most difficult.
Rangers (Scotland)
After finishing second in Group A behind Lyon, Rangers were faced with a challenging playoff tie against German giants Borussia Dortmund, who were understandably the favourites to progress.
However, the Scottish giants pulled off a huge upset by claiming a thrilling 6-4 aggregate win, including a memorable 4-2 first-leg triumph in Germany.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men were arguably one of the weaker teams heading into the playoff round, but now they cannot be underestimated. Both sets of fans are sure to be licking their lips at the prospect of facing one another, in what could be described as 'The Battle of Britain' should they lock horns in the last 16.
The Hammers have only met Rangers once before in their history, losing 3-2 at Ibrox in the semi-finals of the Tennent Caledonian Cup pre-season tournament back in 1979.
RB Leipzig (Germany)
RB Leipzig began the campaign in the Champions League but they could only finish third in Group A behind European heavyweights Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
The German outfit, who currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga, came up against David Moyes's former club Real Sociedad in the Europa League playoff round, drawing the first leg 2-2 before winning 3-1 in the second leg in Spain to advance to the last 16.
Leipzig, who were founded in 2009, have never faced West Ham before and 36-year-old head coach Domenico Tedesco will be looking to guide his team to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2017-18.
Porto (Portugal)
Portuguese giants Porto began in this year's Champions League but finished third in Group B behind Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, and subsequently dropped down into the Europa League playoffs.
After a 2-1 victory against Lazio in the first leg, with both goals scored by former West Ham striker Toni Martinez, the Dragoes played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in Thursday's second leg, which was enough to see them edge past their Italian counterparts 4-3 on aggregate.
The 2003 and 2011 Europa League winners, who currently sit six points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga table, have never faced the Hammers before but they have plenty of European pedigree and could prove to be a challenging opponent.
Braga (Portugal)
Braga were the only side who required a penalty shootout to progress to the last 16. The Portuguese outfit managed to rescue a 2-0 first-leg defeat to win by the same scoreline against Sheriff Tiraspol in the second leg, before winning 3-2 on penalties in a shootout which saw five spot kicks missed between the two teams.
The Archbishops, who are currently the best of the rest domestically behind Primeira Liga giants Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica, finished second in Europa League Group F behind Red Star Belgrade, before beating Sheriff over two legs.
West Ham have faced Braga twice in their history, both of which were-pre-season friendlies, firstly drawing 1-1 at the Estadio Municipal in August 2012, before losing 1-0 in Portimao 12 months later.
Braga, who are managed by former Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal, have finally made it to the last 16, after being knocked out in the round of 32 in three of the last four seasons.
Atalanta BC (Italy)
After reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League in both of the last two seasons, Atalanta came up short this term as they finished third in Group F behind Manchester United and Villarreal, and subsequently dropped down into the Europa League playoffs.
The Serie A outfit secured a comfortable 5-1 aggregate win over Olympiacos to reach the last 16, and with Gian Piero Gasperini's side known for their extravagant, attack-minded football, Hammers fans are sure to witness an entertaining contest should they be drawn against the Italians.
Including the current campaign, Atalanta have faced English opposition in each of the last three seasons, facing Manchester City and Liverpool before battling with Man United this term, but they failed to win any of their six encounters. They did, however, beat Everton twice in two Europa League group-stage matches in 2017-18, including a 5-1 win on Merseyside.
Real Betis (Spain)
West Ham could reunite in the last 16 with former manager Manuel Pellegrini, who currently plies his trade with Spanish side Real Betis.
The Chilean, who took charge of 64 games with the East Londoners, saw his Betis side finish second in Group G behind Bayer Leverkusen, before beating Zenit St Petersburg 3-2 on aggregate in the Europa League playoff.
Los Verdiblancos are flying high in La Liga this season and are in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League as they sit third in the table, four points above both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Sevilla (Spain)
Real Betis's city rivals Sevilla are another team who the Hammers could face in the last 16, though a two-legged battle with the Europa League veterans is one they will be keen to avoid.
Los Palanganas are bidding to clinch a record seventh crown in this competition and with the 2022 final to be played in Seville, they will be as motivated as ever to go all the way once again.
Julen Lopetegui's men initially began in the Champions League earlier this season, but finished third in Group G behind Lille and Red Bull Salzburg, a slightly underwhelming result considering their opponents.
West Ham's familiar foes Dinamo Zagreb were Sevilla's next challenge in the Europa League playoffs, and they were able to secure what turned out to be a nervy passage through to the last 16, losing 1-0 in the second leg but winning 3-2 on aggregate.
body check tags ::
