The Europa League returns on Thursday with the final legs of the quarterfinals. Of the remaining ties all but one is up in the air. Here is how the Europa League looks heading into its final leg of the third knockout round.
Benfica currently holds a 1-0 lead against Dutch side AZ. The 1-0 lead is significant because the single goal was on the. AZ needs to put together a 2-0 win in Portugal to move on. If Benfica scores then AZ would need to win 2-1 in order to qualify. In the round of 32 AZ took down Slovan Liberec 2-1 over two legs while Benfica defeated PAOK 4-0 in the round of 16 The Dutch team won 1-0 over two legs against Russian contingent Anzhi Makhachkala. Benfica defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on the road before tying the 2-2 at home.
Benfica was seen as the favorite heading into the game not only because its being able to overcome harder competition in the early rounds, but also because the team was in the Champions League this season and made a run to the Europa League final last year.
The Lyon- Juventus matchup is also rather close. The Italian side managed a 1-0 win in the first leg away from Turin and should have no trouble wrapping things up at home. Juventus was also in the UCL this season and many think that it will make a run to the final, which will be played in its home stadium. Juventus made easy work of Trabzonspor in the round of 32 and barely got by rivals Fiorentina in the round of 16. Meanwhile Lyon managed a 1-0 aggregate over Choronomorets Odesa in the first knockout round and then beat Viktoria Plzen 5-3 over two legs.
The Porto- Sevilla tie is also 1-0 heading into the second round. The Portuguese side won 1-0 at home but faces a still challenge against a Spanish team that recently topped Real Madrid at home. This will not be an easy game for Porto. Porto was in the UCL earlier this year but has not been particularly convincing defensively in the Europa League. The team conceded five goals against Eintracht Frankfurt over two legs but qualified for the round of 16 thanks to away goals. The team did defeat Napoli in the round of 16, but still gave up two goals on the road. Sevilla gave up three goals against Maribor but won 4-3 over two legs. In the round of 16 the team tied Real Betis 2-2 on aggregate but managed a 4-3-penalty shootout win. This may be the most interesting tie to watch on Thursday, as either side has looked capable of producing a semifinal berth.
The one tie with minimal drama features FC Basel and Valencia. The Spanish side is down 3-0 heading home; while a miracle is possible, a 4-0 win will be hard to pull off in order for Valencia to qualify. Considering the way that the Spanish side started the tournament, the team should be happy it made it this far.
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