Sevilla v Leicester: reaction, analysis

Match dates: 22 February, 14 March

Reaction

Claudio Ranieri, Leicester City manager: "For us, it is a tough but very exciting draw against a team who are used to fighting in Europe. Whoever we played would have been a tough opponent, but I think all the teams who came second will have wanted to play against us, and I know we will be the underdogs once again. Always we are underdogs, every time."

Monchi, Sevilla sporting director: "We aren't congratulating ourselves about this draw, because we've been paired with the champions of England, the champions who last weekend put four goals past Manchester City. They had a great campaign in the group stage and they'll be very difficult opponents, just like all the other teams in the draw."

Christian Fuchs, Leicester City defender: "We know there is going to be a lot of quality facing us but we will dig deep. We know our qualities and we will try to perform in these games, but there is a long way to go. Everyone knows our philosophy. We take every match game by game but it's an exciting phase for us, in the last 16."

Óscar Arias, Sevilla technical secretary: "We understand that it's an even-looking tie that will be very difficult. Any knockout tie demands the maximum and this is not going to be any different. But it is also true that if we had to choose [an opponent] to give us a little more of a chance, this would certainly be one of the options."

Key facts

• These teams have never met before.
• Leicester's only previous taste of Spanish opposition has come against Atlético Madrid, in the 1961/62 European Cup Winners' Cup first round (1-1 home, 0-2 away) and the 1997/98 UEFA Cup first round (1-2 away, 0-2 home).
• Sevilla's last brush with English opposition came in claiming an unprecedented third straight UEFA Europa League title with a 3-1 win against Liverpool in last season's final. It was their second final success against a Premier League side, following their 4-0 defeat of Middlesbrough in the 2006 UEFA Cup final.
• Sevilla's Steven N'Zonzi (Blackburn, Stoke), Samir Nasri (Arsenal, Manchester City) and Daniel Carriço (Reading) have all played in England.
• In the Leicester squad, Luis Hernández (Real Madrid Castilla, Sporting Gijón) and Leonardo Ulloa (Castellón, Almería) have played for Spanish clubs.