The Niçois, qualified Thursday for the quarters after their victory against the Moldovans of Sheriff Tiraspol (3-1, first leg: 1-0), will travel to Switzerland on April 13 and receive the return match on April 20, according to the draw made Friday at the headquarters of UEFA in Nyon.
In this event that gives pride of place to the small European nations of football, much less prestigious than the Champions League and the Europa League, the Aiglons may be reassured to have avoided the English West Ham, rich Premier League club that nevertheless fights for its maintenance in the Championship.
The latter will face La Gantoise in the quarter-finals and are relegated to the opposite part of the table to that of Nice.
Didier Digard's men know their potential opponents in the semis: the Poles of Lech Poznan, the former club of Robert Lewandowski, or the well-known Fiorentina, finalist in 1957 of the second edition of the Cup of Champions Clubs, ancestor of the Champions League.
The semis are scheduled for May 11 and 18, ahead of the June 7 final in Prague, Czech Republic.
The fourth poster of the quarters promises a clash in the Benelux between the Belgians of Anderlecht and the Dutch of AZ Alkmaar.
After the elimination of Paris SG and Marseille in the Champions League, Nantes, Monaco and Rennes in the Europa League, Nice holds the last French chances in Europe, with a significant impact on the UEFA index of the France, whose fifth place is threatened in the ranking by the Netherlands.
The program of the quarter-finals, April 13 and 20
Lech Poznan (POL) - Fiorentina (ITA)
La Gantoise (BEL) - West Ham (ENG)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) - Anderlecht (BEL)
Basel (SUI) - Nice (FRA)
Programme of the semi-finals, May 11 and 18:
Lech Poznan (POL) or Fiorentina (ITA) - Basel (SUI) or Nice (FRA)
Ghent (BEL) or West Ham (ENG) - AZ Alkmaar (NED) or Anderlecht (BEL)
© 2023 AFP