Liverpool drawn against Sparta Prague in Europa League last 16

Jurgen Klopp's men sailed into the knockout rounds of Europe's secondary competition as Group E winners over Toulouse, LASK Linz and Union SG, bypassing the knockout round playoffs in the process.

In contrast, Sparta Prague were forced to pit their wits against one of the eight teams dropping down from the Champions League on account of finishing second in Group C behind Rangers, which saw the Maroons set up a knockout round playoff tie with Galatasaray.

Sparta suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat in their first leg at Rams Park, but Brian Priske masterminded a phenomenal turnaround in Thursday's second leg, where the reigning Czech champions thumped their Turkish counterparts 4-1 to seal a 6-4 aggregate success.

Three of Sparta's four goals in the second leg arrived in the final 20 minutes, and their reward is a blockbuster fixture with the Reds, whom they met for the first time in the last 32 of the 2010-11 Europa League.

On that occasion, a Sir Kenny Dalglish-led Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw in Prague before edging a close second leg 1-0 at Anfield, where an 86th-minute Dirk Kuyt header sent the Reds through to the last 16 before their elimination at the hands of Braga.

Liverpool were one of three Premier League teams involved in Friday's Europa League last-16 draw, where Group B winners Brighton & Hove Albion were handed a glamour tie away to last season's runners-up Roma, winners against Feyenoord on penalties in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, reigning Europa Conference League champions West Ham United face an immediate reunion with Freiburg, whom they pipped to first place in