EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL DRAW: West Ham face a tough clash with Belgian side KAA Gent

Friday’s Europa Conference League quarter-final and semi-final draw threw up some interesting match-ups for the remainder of the competition.

West Ham United, who were the only English side in the competition, have been drawn against Belgian side KAA Gent for their quarter-final clash.

David Moyes’ side will travel to Belgium for the first-leg of the tie before welcoming their opponents to the London Stadium. 

Meanwhile, Serie A giants Fiorentina will face Polish side Lech Poznan in the quarter-finals and AZ Alkmaar will take on Anderlecht.

Swiss side Basel will take on French side OGC Nice in the final quarter-final of the competition. 

West Ham will face Belgian side KAA Gent in their Europa Conference League quarter-final

Gent striker Gift Orban (L) has seven goals in his last two appearances for the Belgian outfit

Should the Hammers beat their Belgian counterparts, they will face the winner of AZ Alkmaar’s tie with Anderlecht.

The east London side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition after beating Cypriot side AEK Larnaca 6-0 on aggregate. 

David Moyes’ side stormed through the group stages of the competition, qualifying top of their group and with a 10-point gap between themselves and Anderlecht.

It won’t be plain sailing for the Hammers, however, as they come up against a Gent side that are full of confidence. Particularly, 20-year-old strike Gift Orban.

The Nigerian forward has scored seven goals in his last two games – four in one and three in another – and will be a real threat for Moyes’ side.

Meanwhile, Italian side Fiorentina are seen as one of the teams that could put an end to the Hammers’ dreams of a European trophy, despite their poor domestic form.

They currently sit 11th in the Serie A table however have won seven out of their last eight matches in all competitions.

French outfit Nice, who are also seen as one of West Ham’s biggest rivals in the competition, are similarly in a brilliant run of form and are undefeated since January 7th.

Former Premier League stars Ross Barkley, Aaron Ramsey, Kasper Schmeichel and Nicolas Pepe could all come back to haunt the Hammers – should their paths cross in the tournament. 

More to follow…