UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final draw: West Ham meet Gent, Fiorentina face Lech
Friday, March 17, 2023
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The 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final draw has been made, with West Ham paired with a promising Gent side and goals almost guaranteed as Fiorentina take on Lech.
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The 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final and semi-final draws have been made, with West Ham paired with a young Gent side that stunned İstanbul Başakşehir this week by scoring four goals in seven minutes, including a record-breaking hat-trick for 20-year-old Gift Orban.
Two of the competition's top-scoring teams meet elsewhere as Lech line up against Fiorentina, while there's a Low Countries derby of sorts as Anderlecht take on AZ Alkmaar. Nice's first European quarter-final in 63 years will be against relative regulars at this stage, Swiss side Basel.
Europa Conference League draws
Quarter-finals
First legs: Thursday 13 April
Gent vs West Ham (18:45 CET)
Lech vs Fiorentina (21:00 CET)
Anderlecht vs AZ (21:00 CET)
Basel vs Nice (21:00 CET)
Second legs: Thursday 20 April
Fiorentina vs Lech (18:45 CET)
AZ vs Anderlecht (18:45 CET)
West Ham vs Gent (21:00 CET)
Nice vs Basel (21:00 CET)
Semi-finals
First legs: Thursday 11 May
Lech / Fiorentina vs Basel / Nice (21:00 CET)
Gent / West Ham vs Anderlecht / AZ (21:00 CET)
Second legs: Thursday 18 May
Basel / Nice vs Lech / Fiorentina (21:00 CET)
Anderlecht / AZ vs Gent / West Ham (21:00 CET)
When will the games take place?
Quarter-final first legs: 13 April
Quarter-final second legs: 20 April
Semi-final first legs: 11 May
Semi-final second legs: 18 May
How did the draw work?
There was a free draw for the quarter-finals, meaning no seedings or country protection, with ties numbered 1–4 for the semi-final draw that followed.
Because Anderlecht and UEFA Europa League quarter-finalists Union Saint-Gilloise share the same stadium for home matches and cannot play on the same night, Anderlecht's last-eight tie with AZ Alkmaar was reversed. Union Saint-Gilloise, who finished higher in Belgium last season, had priority.
Should Union Saint-Gilloise (UEFA Europa League) and Anderlecht both qualify for the semi-finals, Anderlecht's semi-final will be reversed. The first leg – against Gent or West Ham – will be played in Brussels.
Was there also a draw for the final?
Yes, for administrative purposes. The winners of semi-final 1 (Lech / Fiorentina vs Basel / Nice) will be the home side for the final in Prague on Wednesday 7 June.
The winners of the four quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals, while the semi-final winners head to the final. All losing sides are out of 2022/23 European competition.
Where is the 2023 final?
The 2022/23 Europa Conference League final will take place at Prague's Eden Arena on 7 June.
The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 Europa League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.