West Ham United were drawn against Spanish side Sevilla during Friday's UEFA Europa League Round of 16 draw which was held at the UEFA Headquarters located in Nyon, Switzerland.

The Hammers were one of the seeded teams in the draw, meaning they will play the away leg first, currently scheduled for Thursday 10th March at 5:45 PM GMT, which is an hour ahead on the continent.

David Moyes' side will then face Los Rojiblancos at the London Stadium a week later, with kick off at 8:00 PM GMT in the decisive second leg, which will be one of the biggest games in recent memory for the club.

Of course, it's important to remember that in all European competitions this season there is no longer the 'away goals rule,' meaning any goals West Ham might score in Spain won't count for any more in the event of an aggregate draw.

Instead, both sides will face the prospect of heading for extra time in the English capital, and if that still can't separate them, they'll go to a penalty shootout, competing for a place in the quarter finals of the competition.

Here's how various people reacted to the draw for West Ham as it was made on Friday lunchtime...

'Pick of the round'

Speaking ahead of his team's fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this weekend, West Ham manager David Moyes spoke of his excitement at the draw his side had been given.

'From what I've seen, I think our Europa League round of 16 tie with Sevilla is the pick of the round,' the 58-year-old told the media just a couple of hours after the event.

The Scot clearly has the utmost respect for his upcoming continental opponents too, going on to praise the Spanish outfit both for their long-term stature as a European giant as well as their current form this season.

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'I think Sevilla has an unbelievable historian winning the competition and I know their manager Julen [Lopetegui] [...] after Real Madrid they're probably the most in-form team in Spain at the moment so it'll be a really tough game [...].'

He's not wrong to point to Sevilla's record with this competition - they've won it a record six times - and they're also currently five points clear in second place in La Liga, ahead of fellow rivals in the Europa League Real Betis and Barcelona.

There was a slight twinge of disappointment from the coach that he wouldn't go up against a team from his hometown of Glasgow in Rangers ('I was looking forward to maybe having a game against them') but it's clear he's more than happy with the draw West Ham have.

Plus, while it was clearly said in jest, he already appears to have his eyes set on the final, commenting: 'It would be good to go there [Sevilla's stadium] twice for the final, so it would be good to get used to the stadium wouldn't it!'

'A tough tie'

Meanwhile, one of the Hammers' most talented players in Declan Rice gave his thoughts and while he was looking forward to the prospect of going up against such a big team, there was a sense of caution too.

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'They're a massive club, it's going to be a tough tie,' the Englishman said, while also remarking 'but if we want to compete with the best and test ourselves against the best then we've got to beat the best.'

'We're all excited, all the lads and the manager and of course the fans are looking forward to it.'

Speaking of fans looking forward to the game, that message was echoed by former West Ham striker Tony Cottee, who scored 115 league goals for the Hammers' over the course of two separate spells at the club.

He reacted to the draw on Twitter in a way many other fans of the club probably did too, while also following the same line as David Moyes in his optimism over potentially reaching the final come May.

There were also reaction from European football journalist Julien Laurens, who spoke to TalkSport moments after the draw had been completed, talking of how Sevilla would not see this as an easy tie by any means.

'I think this is one that if West Ham put their strongest team out and have good momentum going into the game they will cause problems for this Sevilla team,' he told the radio station.

Thoughts from the fans

Finally, here's a selection of the very best tweets from West Ham United supporters reacting to the draw in real time and after the event, with it being fair to say that there has been a slightly mixed reaction in terms of optimism heading towards the match.

Some are feeling positive...

...others not so much. 

A fan confused over the pessimism... 

...and another just looking forward to the challenge. 

There's a dose of realism here... 

...and seemingly the most popular reaction here. 

The draw in full

Ties to be played w/c 7th March and w/c 14th March

Rangers vs Red Star Belgrade
Braga vs Monaco
Porto vs Lyon
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen
Sevilla vs West Ham
Barcelona vs Galatasaray
Leipzig vs Spartak Moscow
Real Betis vs Eintracht Frankfurt