Europa League: Atalanta stun Liverpool, Benfica beat Marseille

Leverkusen, Roma also win first-leg matches

The Europa League has reached the quarterfinals with Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool looking the teams to beat.

Leverkusen beat Atalanta 3-2 in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie on Thursday, while Liverpool were stunned 2-0 at home by Benfica.

In the other matches, Roma won 2-1 away at Milan and West Ham were beaten 1-0 at home by Eintracht Frankfurt.

The second legs of the quarterfinals will be played on April 18.

Here are the narratives at play ahead of the first-leg matches on.

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atalanta: Leverkusen are the favorites to win the Europa League this season, and they will be looking to take a big step towards the semifinals with a win at home in the first leg.
Liverpool vs. Benfica: Liverpool are the defending champions, but they will be underdogs in the first leg against Benfica, who are in excellent form.
Roma vs. Milan: Roma are the Serie A leaders, but they will be facing a tough test against Milan, who are also in good form.
West Ham vs. Eintracht Frankfurt: West Ham are the only English team left in the Europa League, but they will be facing a tough test against Eintracht Frankfurt, who are the Bundesliga leaders.