Be?ikta? challenges unbeaten Brugge for European dreams

Istanbul?s Be?ikta?, which sent Liverpool crashing out of the Europa League in the Round of  32, will entertain dreams of reaching the quarters when it visits Belgium?s Club Brugge, unbeaten in 12 European games this season, on March 12.

?Now, we are going to get ready for Club Brugge,? Be?ikta??s Croatian coach, Slaven Bilic, said over the weekend after a narrow win against Sivasspor in the Turkish league.

Club Brugge is in the round of 16 for the first time since the advent of the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stages. The Belgian side has not reached the final stages of a UEFA tournament since they made it to the last four in the 1991/92 European Cup Winners? Cup, losing to Werder Bremen.

Be?ikta? bowed out to eventual winners Atlético Madrid at this stage in 2011/12. The Black Eagles last made it to a quarter-final in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup, when they lost to Lazio on away goals.

Be?ikta? forward Demba Ba played in Belgium for Excelsior Mouscron from 2006 to 2007. He scored eight goals in 12 league games despite missing much of the campaign with a broken leg.

Brugge?s Waldemar Sobota is one of six Polish nationals left in the competition who still have the chance of a dramatic homecoming when the UEFA Europa League final takes place in Warsaw on May 27.

The return leg falls on an auspicious date for Be?ikta?, as March 19 marks the 112th anniversary of the club?s foundation.

Prolific Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, meanwhile, will lead Everton?s assault on Dynamo Kyiv in the last-16, first-leg tie on March 12 after scoring five times in the previous round.

Other plum ties in the Round of 16 see Wolfsburg host Inter Milan, Napoli welcome Dynamo Moscow while Fiorentina awaits Roma, with...