Europa Night Today!
Thursday Night Action
Tonight sees the Second Legs of the round of 16 matches in the Europa League, where only Tottenham Hotspurs look to have some sort of an advantage, having won at home against Internazionale 3-0. The rest of the ties can go either way as all look near to balance on paper.
We cast an eye on each game that is going to happen tonight and where and how can things change for the teams.
Rubin Kazan v Levante and FC Basel vs FC Zenit are the two early-kickoffs this time, with both ties looking very interesting.
RUBIN KAZAN (Rus) VS LEVANTE UD (Esp) (agg 0-0)
Levante go to the Luizniki Stadium in Moscow and face a Rubin team who won their previous game at home against Zenit St. Petersburg. While Levante are holding out on draws in their previous encounters, this is a game where they have to score to have a chance of moving on in the competition. As far as Rubin Kazan are concerned, they must make sure they go through after investing a decent lot into their squad. It is still going to be intriguing as a goal here or there for any of them can settle it.
The predicted scoreline for this tie : Rubin Kazan 2- Levante 0
FC ZENIT (Rus) VS FC BASEL (Swiss) ( agg. 0-2)
FC Zenit have all to do against FC Basel but they are a real formidable team at home. After knocking Liverpool out in the previous round, they need to produce the goods against Swiss Club FC Basel. With the attacking talents of Axel Witsel and Hulk they have every chance of scoring twice, and with their strong defense. they might hold out a clean sheet here.
The prediction of this is FC Zenit 2- FC Basel 0, and then we go to penalties which might see FC Zenit going on.
INTER MILAN (Ita) VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS (Eng) (agg 0-3)
This was termed as the glamor tie for this round and as far as Spurs are concerned it was pretty glamorous at White Hart Lane. A Gareth Bale inspired performance has seen Spurs take a healthy lead to the San Siro.With Inter Milan in all sorts of trouble, this looks like the final nail in the coffin of the troubled reign of Andrea Stamaccioni. The young protege has a lot to learn and the Inter job along with the expectations may be a step too far for him. He faces a young manager in Andre Villas Boas who himself took a giant leap, and fell down, and now is back on the rise again. Definitely Spurs are the favorite for this one, and I do not see any upset on the card.
The predicition for this one is Inter 1- Spurs 1.
LAZIO (Ita) VS STUTTGART (Ger) ( agg 2-0)
Lazio are looking for Uefa Champions League qualification this while Stuttgart are looking to hold on their top-flight status. A real easy game for Lazio as they already carry a 2-0 away advantage. I do not see anything happening here other than a walk in the park for Lazio.
The predicted score for this is Lazio 2- Stuttgart 0.
BORDEAUX(Fra) VS BENFICA (Por) (agg 0-1)
Benfica hold the slightest of advantage in this one as they look to make past Bordeaux. Bordeaux knocked Dynamo Kiev while Benfica edged out Bayern Leverkusen in the previous round. Benfica are tipped to go through as being top of the table in the Super Liga Portugal, but Bordeaux are a decent enough side at home, and may spring a surprise.
The predicted scoreline for this one is Bordeaux 1-Benifca 1.
FENERBACHE (Turkey) VS VIKTORIA PLZEN (Czech) (agg 0-1)
Fenerbache hold a crucial advantage in this one and provided that they have enough fire-power upfront it is inevitable that they will score against Plzen. Moussa Sow will surely have a lot to say in this one while for Plzen it will be to get a counter going and score an important away-goal. They might not have any big names in the side but they might produce something.
The prediction for this one though is in favor of Fenerbache. 3-0
Now, for the two premiership sides. We will have an in-depth analysis. Head over to read that out!
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