Europa League semi-finals: Sevilla, Napoli, Fiorentina and Dnipro battle to reach Warsaw

The Europa League semi-finals get underway on Thursday, with four teams still harbouring hopes of reaching the final in Warsaw on May 27.

Rafael Benitez’s Napoli take on Ukranian side Dnipro, while Sevilla face Serie A opposition in the form of Fiorentina.

Napoli are favourites to win the Europa League after their 6-3 aggregate win over Wolfsburg in the quarter-final, sending them to the last four in a European competition for the first time in 16 years.

Dnipro, meanwhile, are in their first ever European semi-final and lie in second place behind Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Unai Emery’s Sevilla currently occupy fifth position in La Liga, just three points off the coveted Champions League places, and they face a Fiorentina side desperate to get out of a poor run of form.

We take a look at the teams’ runs to the last four and their current state of affairs ahead of Thursday’s games…

Napoli v Dnipro

Benitez’s men are hard to beat at the Stadio San Paolo, going unbeaten in their last 12 home games in Europe.

They saw off 10-man AC Milan in Serie A at the weekend, keeping up their hunt for a Champions League spot as they sit in fourth, four points behind Lazio.

Gonzalo Higuain, who is the top scorer left in the competition with seven goals, will likely lead Napoli's attack, and Manolo Gabbiadini is staking a claim for a regular spot in the starting line-up.

The 23-year-old has four goals in his last five games, and two in four Europa League appearances this season.

Midfielder Marek Hamsik, meanwhile, has warned his team-mates against complacency and insists any opponent in the semi-final will provide a tough test.

"Perhaps Dnipro are not as famous as Sevilla and Fiorentina, but they remain a very good side," Hamsik said on Napoli’s official website. "They have eliminated big clubs to reach the last four of the competition.

"We are talking about a team that has shown balance and is in good form. They have an excellent defensive line that has conceded just two goals in their last 10 games.

"We will need to be patient and play our game."

Dnipro warmed up for the encounter in Naples with a 3-0 triumph at Odessa on Sunday, lifting them to second place in the Ukrainian Premier League, six points adrift of leaders Dynamo Kiev.

They have already seen off Olympiacos, Ajax and Club Brugge in this unprecedented European run, but know the size of the task facing them.

Myron Markevych's men have lost their last five games against Italian sides and went down 4-2 at Napoli in the Europa League group stages back in 2012/13.

The visitors – who have won just one of their last 10 European away games – are without Pavel Ksenz, Papa Gueye, Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Yevgen Shakhov, who are all sidelined through injury, but striker Nikola Kalinic says the belief is strong among the squad.

"We know it's going to be very difficult," he said. "Napoli are very strong.

"But we want to make history and win the Europa League."

Sevilla v Fiorentina

Sevilla’s recent form has put them into contention for a Champions League spot – Saturday’s defeat to Real Madrid halted a run of 15 games unbeaten in all competitions – but Emery will also be targeting a defence of their Europa League crown and a fourth triumph in the competition in 10 years.

Sevilla also saw a 34-game unbeaten home run ended by Carlo Ancelotti’s men, and despite a recent run of poor form from Fiorentina, defender Timothee Kolodziejczak is taking nothing for granted.

"It's a very important match for the people, for us, and we have to be able to get a victory," he told Sevilla's official website.

"We have great enthusiasm. Fiorentina is a very difficult team. It will be a very hard match.

"Favourites? We are the two favourites. All teams who reach the semi-finals have the same options.

"The fans in the last match against Real Madrid encouraged us very much. I think that we will need them on Thursday."

Emery’s men have overcome Borussia Monchengladbach, Villarreal and Zenit St Petersburg in the knockout stage so far, with Carlos Bacca being a key man for the Spanish side this season, scoring 25 goals. The only confirmed absentee for the hosts is Nico Pareja, who is set for a lengthy absence after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the last round.

They take on a Fiorentina side which has won just two of the last eight matches, keeping a clean sheet in just one. The Serie A side have dropped out of the Champions League race after a superb start to the year in which they lost just one game in 19 between January and April.

Chelsea loanee Mohamed Salah hit the ground running in Florence, but has only scored one in his last 13 matches for Vincenzo Montella’s side.

Tottenham’s conquerors from the round of 32 have since seen off Roma and Dynamo Kiev in the knockout stages, and they brought a four-game losing run to an end at the weekend, beating Cesena in Serie A.

The visitors are without Khouma Babacar and Giuseppe Rossi, who are both unlikely to feature again this season due to knee problems.