The Europa League semi-final ties

The Europa League semi-final ties

Disaster struck for Arsenal as they were drawn against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. The 'Gunners' will play the first leg at home on April 25, before heading for the Spanish capital for the return leg on April 3. It will be the first time the pair have played each other in European competition.

Meanwhile, French side Marseille claimed the least-favoured side left in the competition in the shape of Salzburg.

That's that for the draw!

Winners of SF1 v Winners of SF2

Either Marseille or Salzburg will be the 'home' side in the final in Lyon, with one of Arsenal and Atletico the 'visitors'.

Now for the final draw

Arsenal v Atletico Madrid

Bad news for the 'Gunners' as they are given the tie they were hoping to avoid.

 

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Marseille v Salzburg

The French side are the first team out of the hat and they will face plucky Austrians Salzburg.

 

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Here we go!

Eric Abidal will be assisting with the draw

A big round of applause for the former Barcelona man as he takes to the stage.

Marchetti goes through his piece

UEFA's competitions director Giorgio Marchetti talks us through the format of the draw as he always does.

A montage of the semi-finalists is shown

UEFA showing off their video editing capabilities with a lovely montage of the four remaining teams before the draw gets underway.

It's time!

The clock strikes 12:00 in Nyon and the draw will be underway imminently!

One club per country

No one nation dominates the draw, with England, France, Spain and Austria all contributing one side to the final four.

All four sides left are previous finalists

Despite their rotation early on in the competition, the Europa League has quickly become Arsenal's best route back into the Champions League after another disappointing campaign domestically.

 

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Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid shrugged of their Champions League disappointment to cruise into the semis.

 

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Marseille saw off a strong RB Leipzig side in what quickly became a straight shootout to advance.

 

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Salzburg produced a stunning comeback against Lazio in the quarter-finals to secure their passage to the last four.

 

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Atletico Madrid are heavy favourites to win the competition

The Spanish side are odds-on favourites with many bookmakers, though they will face stiff competition from Arsenal, who need to lift the trophy to ensure a place in next season's Champions League.

 

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When will the semi-finals take place?

The first legs will take place on April 26, with the reverse fixtures set for the following week, May 3. The first team drawn in each fixture will play the first leg at home.

How will the draw unfold?

There is no seeding system whatsoever at this stage of the competition, meaning any side can be drawn against any other.

Only four sides remain in the competition following Thursday's quarter-final second legs.

Arsenal (England), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Marseille (France) and Salzburg (Austria) are still in with a chance of lifting the trophy.

 

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Join us for live text updates of the Europa League semi-final draw from Nyon, Switzerland. The draw is due to take place at 12:00 CET.