Klopp to return to Dortmund with Liverpool in Europa League

After Sevilla, the sixth team out of the hat, were drawn against Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao at the Europa League draw in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday the game that seemingly everybody wanted to see happen, became a reality.

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, who beat fierce rivals Manchester United on Thursday to advance, drew his old club, Dortmund, in the quarterfinals. The Ruhr district side had advanced by cruising past Tottenham Hotspur on the same night. The first leg is to be played at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.

After a hugely successful seven-year stint in Dortmund, Klopp left the club at the end of last season, before taking on the Liverpool job in October. His new charges have been inconsistent in the Premier League while Klopp’s successor at Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel, has impressed, with BVB currently in second in the Bundesliga.

Asked at a press conference this week whether he would like to face his old club in the quarterfinals, Klopp told reporters that he was not "so silly" as to wish to face the "strongest team in the next round."

But Tuchel said after the draw that he was looking forward to the clash with his predecessor.

"We want to measure ourselves against the best and we are again meeting a top opponent (after Porto and Spurs)," he said. "For all football fans it is a dream draw."

Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke added that the tie would be "something quite special" for Klopp.

In the other Europa League quarterfinals, Braga will play Shakhtar Donetsk and Villareal will face Sparta Prague. The two-legged ties will be played on April 7 and 14.