UEFA Europa League Last-16 Draw: Winners and Losers from Nyon Event

Valencia's struggles in La Liga have been well-documented thanks to the increased English interest in the club following Gary Neville's appointment as manager.

It took the former Sky Sports pundit months to procure his first league win—a scrappy one against Espanyol that could have gone either way—and a follow-up victory against Granada was more than a bit fortunate.

Away from the league, though, Los Che have been on fire. They recorded the biggest aggregate victory in the history of the competition by beating Rapid Wien 10-0 in the round of 32, belying their domestic struggles by putting in two scintillating attacking performances.

But drawing Spanish opposition in the last-16 removes that "escapism" effect European games have; Athletic Bilbao know them inside out and will be primed to take advantage.

"Athletic are not the team we wanted at this moment," Valencia striker Alvaro Negredo told UEFA.com after the draw. "We're up against difficult opponents. It's going to be a very tight tie."