Joe Cole is excited at the potential prospect of Rangers facing West Ham in the Europa League final, after both sides learned of their opponents in the quarter-final draw on Friday. He is hoping for an all-British final.
Rangers secured their ideal draw, taking on Portuguese side Braga in the last eight of the competition – a side that they beat in the 2019 edition of the tournament, winning 4-2 on aggregate in the round of 32.
Meanwhile, West Ham will take on French side Lyon – who have been poor domestically, sitting in a lowly 10th place. However, they knocked out Porto in the previous round and it will be an intriguing tie come April 7.
Rangers will face either Atalanta or RB Leipzig in the semi-final, should they secure a repeat of their 2019 result. Meanwhile, West Ham will play either Barcelona or Frankfurt should they beat Lyon, in the semi-finals.
“It’s great, it’s opened up lovely,” Cole said about the Europa League draw on BT Sport. On a potential meeting in the final between the two sides, Cole said: “It’s a tall ask, but a Rangers West Ham final would be unbelievable.”
Cole on Rangers, West Ham: Could the two sides really get to the final?
Judging by their quarter-final opponents, both West Ham and Rangers will see it as a missed opportunity if they fail to beat Lyon and Braga. Lyon have quality and strength, but they are incredibly inconsistent of late.
The Hammers, if they can get Jarrod Bowen back for the clash in less than three weeks, will have a real chance of qualifying. For Rangers, having beaten Braga before, will be confident they can do it all over again.
However, Leipzig and Atalanta will prove incredibly tough opposition in the semi-finals – but Rangers have shown they can do it, beating Dortmund. West Ham will probably face Barcelona, no words needed.
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