The second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 will resume today and here is a look at some of the things to expect.
Goal fest as Arsenal host Rennes
Arsenal look to overcome their first-leg deficit when they host Rennes in the Europa League at the Emirates. The Gunners were stunned in France last week as Rennes put them to the sword in the first leg of this tie by a 3-1 scoreline. Rennes do struggle defensively on the road as evidenced by their record of four clean sheets away from home this season. Unai Emery’s men have only failed to score in three of their home games this season, and with the position they find themselves in, we think this could be an entertaining fixture that should see a lot of goals.
Inter Milan to bank on home advantage
Inter Milan avoided defeat on the road last week, and they will be hoping to progress with a win in front of their own fans when they host Eintracht Frankfurt. From the first leg, we saw that both teams are very capable of going forward. However, Frankfurt’s defensive efforts on the road will be good news for their Italian hosts. Inter looked more like the team to win last week and with the home advantage in their favour, they look like the team to progress to the next round.
Benfica to react following recent poor form
Dynamo Zagreb won on their own patch last week, and they will be hoping to finish off the job on the road away to Benfica. Sadly for the host, they have a one-goal deficit to overturn. However, they will have to do considerably better than they did in the first leg. They have faltered in recent weeks as was the case against Galatasaray at home and last week in the first leg. They also surrendered a 2-0 lead on Monday to Belenenses in the league and they will need a strong reaction if they are to achieve anything this season. They have the quality to do this and it should be easier doing it at home.
Is it the end of the road for Sevilla?
After securing an excellent result on the road, Slavia Prague will be looking to progress if they can hold off Sevilla. The visitors were the better team in the first leg but they will be facing a different challenge today. They have struggled defensively on the road and Slavia Prague are yet to concede a goal on home soil in the Europa League this season. This portends bad news for Sevilla who will need more than a miracle to emerge on top. The hosts have proven that they are very tough to beat at home this season and it will be interesting to see how Sevilla manages them.
Krasnodar to keep an excellent home record
Krasnodar grabbed a late away-goal last week against Valencia and they will be looking to turn it around today in Russia. Fortunately for them, Russia is never an easy place for western European teams to go to. This explains why Krasnodar are unbeaten in front of a home crowd in the Europa League this season. Valencia were the better team in the first leg, but they failed to outclass their opponents and give themselves a good advantage. Marcelino’s men might struggle here against a side that is very good on their own patch.