Places in the last 16 of the Europa League are up for grabs on Thursday when the eight second legs of the knockout play-offs take place.
Roma and Porto’s big tie is finely poised at 1-1, while FC Twente, Ajax and Real Sociedad are among the sides who hold important leads going into the second legs.
Here are five selections to consider for another big night in the Europa League.
- ROMA TO BEAT PORTO
- FC TWENTE TO BEAT BODO/GLIMT
- AJAX TO BEAT UNION SAINT-GILLOISE
- REAL SOCIEDAD TO BEAT MIDTJYLLAND
- VIKTORIA PLZEN TO BEAT FERENCVAROS
Roma vs Porto
The two sides had similar records in the league phase, both winning three of their eight games, and there may be little to choose between them again in the Italian capital.
Zeki Celik gave Roma the lead in the first game but Francisco Moura equalised for Porto before the Giallorossi had Bryan Cristante sent off in what was overall a tight but entertaining clash.
At home, Roma will look to take the game to Porto and should eventually come out on top, although it might be the second half before they exert their superiority fully.
ROMA TO WIN
Bodo/Glimt vs FC Twente
Dutch outfit Twente secured a narrow 2-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg thanks to Ricky van Wolfswinkel’s late penalty at home.
It was a deserved success, though, as Twente managed 14 attempts on the night compared to just six from the Norwegian side.
The second game at the Aspmyra Stadion may well be much more evenly contested but Twente can register another victory to comfortably seal their place in the last 16.
Twente are on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions after a 2-0 home success in the Eredivisie on Saturday against RKC Waalwijk and they have plenty of attacking players who can trouble Bodo/Glimt on Thursday as they look to progress in Europe.
Van Wolfswinkel has seven goals this season, Sem Steijn has had a fantastic campaign with 19 goals in total to his name and Sam Lammers has also contributed well with nine goals.
TWENTE TO WIN
Ajax vs Union Saint-Gilloise
Ajax finished down in a disappointing 12th place in the league phase to miss out on an automatic last-16 spot but they are on the verge of going through via the play-off round after a 2-0 first-leg win over Union Saint-Gilloise.
Christian Rasmussen and Jorthy Mokio were on target in the second half for the Dutch giants last week and it should be a fairly comfortable evening for Francesco Farioli's side back on home turf.
Ajax have been in impressive form of late, winning their last five games in all competitions, and they warmed up nicely for the second leg against Union by beating Heracles 4-0 at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in the Eredivisie on Sunday.
Union, in contrast, slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to Mechelen domestically at the weekend and look to have too much work to do to get back into the tie against in-form opponents.
The Belgian club only just squeezed into the play-offs, finishing 21st after a 2-1 Matchday Eight defeat at Rangers, and they could be in for a tough evening in Amsterdam.
AJAX TO WIN
Real Sociedad vs Midtjylland
Another side who won away in the first leg last week, Real Sociedad should now complete the job against Midtjylland at home on Thursday.
The 2-1 first-leg triumph came courtesy of goals from Brais Mendez and Takefusa Kubo and the La Liga side should ease through to the knockout stage with another win.
Midtylland finished 20th in the League Phase, seven places beneath their play-off opponents, and the Basque outfit will be confident of securing a fourth consecutive home win in all competitions at the Anoeta.
Imanol Alguacil's side demonstrated their European credentials when beating Ajax and Dynamo Kyiv in the league phase at home without conceding and a similar dominant display looks likely against their Danish visitors.
REAL SOCIEDAD TO WIN
Viktoria Plzen vs Ferencvaros
Viktoria Plzen must attempt to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit when they host Ferencvaros.
Plzen won only three of their league phase games but ended up just above Ferencvaros on goal difference in the final standings after the Hungarian side won four and lost four in the first stage.
Last week’s game was settled by Mohammad Abu Fani's first-half goal but the Czech side will feel they should have at least claimed a draw away as they had more possession and racked up more attempts, 17 compared to 12, than the victors on the night.
Viktoria responded to the setback with a 2-0 win in the Czech Liga over Teplice on Sunday, while Ferencvaros had a difficult weekend as they were on the end of a 2-0 defeat at home to Paks.
Viktoria Plzen enjoyed good home wins over Anderlecht and Real Sociedad in the league phase, while they also led against Manchester United before the Premier League side scored twice in the final half-hour, so they look more than capable of staging a recovery on Thursday.
Ferencvaros, on the other hand, lost three of their four away games in the first phase of the competition and last week’s first-leg success is their only win in their last five games.
VIKTORIA PLZEN TO WIN
