UEFA Conference League quarter-finals: What to look out for in the second legs

Fiorentina, Chelsea and SK Rapid all lead their respective ties ahead of home deciders in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals, while Real Betis hope to build on a first-leg victory in Spain as they travel to Poland.

UEFA.com previews all the action ahead of the second legs on Thursday 17 April.

Jagiellonia vs Real Betis (18:45 CET)

First leg: 0-2

Real Betis journey to Poland on top after hitting two unanswered first-half goals in Seville. Cédric Bakambu raced through and opened the scoring in the 24th minute, a calm finish which brought up his sixth Conference League goal this season.

"We played a great game today," beamed the DR Congo forward, before stressing that work remains to be done: "It's only the halfway stage and the second leg won't be easy." Manuel Pellegrini's side do enjoy something of a cushion, however, Jesús Rodríguez having followed up Bakambu by sliding in his first goal in Europe on the brink of half-time.

Jagiellonia face an uphill battle on Thursday, but Adrian Siemieniec believes they showed enough in the first leg to justify optimism ahead of the return. "We have given ourselves confidence and belief that we can compete with them," the coach explained.

His team's home form is certainly encouraging: none of their five Conference League games in Bialystok this term have ended in defeat (W4 D1), while Conference League top scorer Afimico Pululu has scored five of his eight goals on home turf.

Did you know: At 19 years 140 days old, Jesús Rodríguez became Real Betis' fourth-youngest goalscorer in European competition in the first leg.

Fiorentina vs Celje (18:45 CET)

First leg: 2-1

Fiorentina return home with a slender lead, but Celje have given them plenty to think about. Indeed, Rolando Mandragora – scorer of Fiorentina's second goal in Slovenia – highlighted the crucial interventions needed from goalkeeper David de Gea to resist a spirited Celje fightback. "He's a stratospheric goalkeeper," noted the impressed midfielder.

The Viola showed plenty of threat themselves, however, stoking the ambitions of coach Raffaele Palladino. "We want to get to the end in both the Conference League and Serie A," insisted the Italian tactician.

Celje boss Albert Riera was unwilling to take any moral victories at full time, meanwhile. "We are not satisfied with the defeat, despite the fact that we experienced it in the quarter-finals against Fiorentina," he said.

Though his side are trailing in the tie, their promising performance can provide inspiration as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit, Logan Delaurier-Chaubet's 68th-minute penalty having reduced the arrears. "We created a lot of chances against a big team," said upbeat Celje forward Aljoša Matko. "We tried to exploit [the space in behind] as much as possible."

Did you know: Fiorentina have won all four of their home Conference League games this season, scoring two or more goals on each occasion.

Chelsea vs Legia Warszawa (21:00 CET)

First leg: 3-0

The Blues return to Stamford Bridge with a commanding lead courtesy of a first senior Chelsea goal for 19-year-old Tyrique George and a double from substitute Noni Madueke.

Kept quiet in the first half, Chelsea cranked up the volume in the second, scoring all three of their goals despite having a Christopher Nkunku penalty saved. That extended their perfect record in the Conference League this term to nine straight wins, but coach Enzo Maresca insists room for improvement remains. "We still have to learn how to play different kinds of matches," he said.

"A team that dominated us today in various aspects." That was Legia coach Gonçalo Feio's appraisal of Maresca's men after a tough first leg for his team. Looking ahead to the return, the Portuguese coach believes greater quality on the ball will help his side temper that Chelsea control. The Polish club have twice won 3-0 on the road in their Conference League campaign, offering a glimmer of hope as they head for west London.

Did you know: Chelsea have scored 18 goals in their four home games so far, conceding just three.

SK Rapid vs Djurgården (21:00 CET)

First leg: 1-0

A narrow win in Stockholm gives SK Rapid the advantage as they return to the Weststadion, where they are undefeated in the Conference League this season (W3 D1). That fact is no coincidence according to forward Ercan Kara, who believes their home support can roar them into the semi-finals.

"We have a great arena and our fans are special; we play better and differently at home," said the 29-year-old, before adding a word of warning. "It won't be easy, because Djurgården also did a good job."

That was likewise the feeling in the Swedish side's ranks after a strong performance that only lacked a finishing touch. "We shouldn't lose this match," said winger Oskar Fallenius. "We need to score – that's what it comes down to. We had chances early on. I had one myself."

Having overturned a 1-0 first-leg defeat in their round of 16 tie with Pafos, storming back to win 3-0, Djurgården will believe they can show a more clinical side to themselves in Vienna.

Did you know: Only Christopher Nkunku, Muamer Tankovic and Cédric Bakambu have managed more attempts on target (14) than SK Rapid's five-goal forward Dion Beljo in the Conference League this term.

Road to Wroclaw

Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May
Final: 28 May

(Sportsfile via Getty Images)