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© Imago
With a place in the Europa League’s last 16 up for grabs, Roma will welcome Porto to Stadio Olimpico for the second leg of their knockout playoff on Thursday.
The Italian side held their Portuguese counterparts to a draw in last week’s opener but have lost all three prior ties between the clubs. This time, the winners will face either Athletic Bilbao or Roma’s arch-rivals Lazio.
We say: Roma 2-0 Porto (Roma win 3-1 on aggregate)
Not only are Roma enjoying a purple patch under beloved boss Claudio Ranieri, but their home record in Europe also stands up to scrutiny.
In contrast, Porto are enduring a tough time by comparison with past standards – and they rarely produce their very best outside of Portugal.
> Europa League preview: Roma vs Porto
© Imago
Facing a three-goal deficit from last week’s first leg, Galatasaray must try to pull off a miraculous comeback when they host AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
The teams’ Europa League playoff will conclude in Istanbul, with Gala needing to defy history to knock AZ out. Whoever prevails will face either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.
We say: Galatasaray 3-2 AZ Alkmaar (AZ Alkmaar win 6-4 on aggregate)
Galatasaray have not lost once in 24 league matches, but European competition exposes their flaws: their Europa League home games have averaged 5.5 goals, and that trend could continue.
After a league-phase draw with AZ and last week’s defeat, Gala’s win at the third attempt will be futile.
> Europa League preview: Galatasaray vs AZ
© Imago
FCSB take a narrow advantage into the second leg of their Europa League knockout playoff tie against PAOK on Thursday night after a surprise win in Thessaloniki last week.
Second-half goals from Andrei Gheorghita and Joyskim Dawa turned the tie on its head in Greece, with the Romanians in the driving seat ahead of the second leg.
We say: FCSB 1-3 PAOK
PAOK were favourites ahead of the tie, and do have the stronger squad on paper, so despite their poor record against Romanian clubs, they will fancy their chances of progressing.
Nobody knows what would have happened in Greece if the numbers on each side remained equal, but they will be at kick off here, and FCSB could struggle with the attacking talent in the PAOK side, in a tie that should be close, and may well go beyond the 180 minutes.
> Europa League preview: FCSB vs PAOK
© Imago
Bodo/Glimt welcome FC Twente back to Norway on Thursday after a dramatic first leg in their Europa League knockout playoff tie last week.
Kjetil Knutsen was unfortunate to end up on the losing side after his Bodo/Glimt team conceded from a late penalty which saw Joseph Oosting’s men take a narrow advantage into this return leg in the Arctic Circle.
We say: Bodo/Glimt 2-2 FC Twente
Bodo/Glimt may be formidable at home in Europe, but they were beaten at the same stage in the Conference League last season by Dutch opponents in the form of Ajax after losing 2-1 in the first leg, and that step up in quality could prove too much for them.
Only Ajax and PSV Eindhoven have scored more than Twente’s 46 in the Eredivisie this season, showing what the visitors are capable of in attack, and they will most likely need to score at least once to have a chance of progressing.
> Europa League preview: Bodo/Glimt vs FC Twente
© Imago
Hungarian champions Ferencvaros take a slender one-goal lead to Czechia for the second leg of their Europa League knockout playoff tie against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.
Mohammed Abu Fani’s deflected first-half strike is all that separates the sides heading into the return leg, in what is arguably the toughest Europa League playoff tie to call.
We say: Viktoria Plzen 3-0 Ferencvaros
Ferencvaros have flattered to deceive under Keane, apart from two wins in Europe against Plzen and AZ, both of which were at home, and they could find this much more challenging on their travels.
Plzen are often strong at home, and have proven that in previous European ties where they remain unbeaten at the Doosan Arena in second legs, and they will still be heavily fancied to advance despite trailing on aggregate.
> Europa League preview: Plzen vs Ferencvaros
© Imago
Seeking to overturn a one-goal first-leg deficit, Danish outfit FC Midtjylland travel to the Reale Arena to face Spanish side Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie on Thursday night.
The winners of this contest on aggregate will face either Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United in the last 16.
We say: Real Sociedad 2-1 FC Midtjylland (Real Sociedad to win 4-2 on aggregate)
Real Sociedad’s recent domestic form leaves little to be desired, but they have looked relatively strong in the Europa League and will be regarded as favourites to win Thursday’s contest, even without the presence of key midfielder Zubimendi.
Midtjylland will be keen to begin on the front foot and score an early goal in Spain, but they face a Real outfit who have scored six goals in the opening 45 minutes across their last four Europa League games, while only Galatasaray (13) and Lazio (11) have score more first-half goals than Alguacil’s side.
> Europa League preview: Real Sociedad vs Midtjylland
© Imago
Boasting a three-goal first-leg advantage, Turkish giants Fenerbahce travel to Lotto Park in Brussels to face Belgian outfit Anderlecht in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie on Thursday night.
The winners of this tie on aggregate will face either Rangers or reigning Conference League champions Olympiacos in the last 16.
We say: Anderlecht 1-3 Fenerbahce (Fenerbahce to win 6-1 on aggregate)
Anderlecht will hope that Fenerbahce will take their foot of the gas and they will endeavour to burst out of the blocks in front of their own fans in an attempt to reduce the deficit on aggregate.
However, we feel that Mourinho’s men will ultimately have too much for the hosts once again and we can see the Turkish giants extending their impressive unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 matches.
> Europa League preview: Anderlecht vs Fenerbahce
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Publish date : 2025-02-19 22:00:00
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