Europa League Draw: Kind pairing at last for Tottenham

 

There are no all-English quarter-finals as Spurs meet Basel, Chelsea face Rubin and Newcastle draw Benfica...

 

The prospects of a Premier League team winning Europe's B competition for the first time in 12 years are looking good after the surviving trio avoided one another in Friday's Europa League quarter-final draw.

 

Tottenham were rewarded for successfully navigated awkward ties with Lyon and Inter - in dramatic circumstances on both occasions - with a clash against 32.0 tournament outsiders Basel, though the second leg will be in Switzerland.

 

Spurs were spooked by Swiss opposition two years ago in the Champions League when they trailed Young Boys 3-0 in the first leg of their qualifier but this was the best-case scenario draw. Andre Villas-Boas has never been eliminated from this competition and his side have been backed in from 4.3 to 3.55 favourites.

 

They overtake Chelsea, who won't be too disappointed to have been paired with Rubin Kazan but also encounter the potential difficulty of playing the away leg second. They have slithered in from 3.8 to 3.6 for the trophy, yet still been stripped of frontrunner status.

 

Newcastle have been assigned the most challenging task of the Premier League contingent against Portuguese pacesetters and continental knockout round veterans Benfica. Jorge Jesus' men are considered the best that mainland Europe has to offer at 5.5.

 

However, the Magpies have conquered the formidable eastern duo of Metalist and Anzhi to get this far, not conceding in the process and, with morale at the club much improved and the decider at St James' Park, progress isn't beyond them. They have drifted from 13.0 to 16.0 to end their trophy drought though.

 

In the only fixture devoid of English representation, Lazio won't fear Fenerbahce having previously snuffed out the Bundesliga threat almost single-handedly by seeing off Borussia Monchengladbach and Stuttgart.

 

They are the sole unbeaten survivors (besides Benfica, who entered at the halfway stage) and are 8.0 to lead Serie A's European resurgence with the nation's first UEFA Cup/Europa League this century.

 

Full draw:

Chelsea v Rubin Kazan

Tottenham v Basel

Fenerbahce v Lazio

Benfica v Newcastle

 

Bet HERE

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