Round of 16 deciders: omens, good and bad
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Article summary
With the eight UEFA Europa League round of 16 deciders taking place on Thursday, we rake through the statistics to see how things might pan out.
Article top media content
Article body
FC Dinamo Moskva (1-3) SSC Napoli
• Dinamo have yet to win a home game against Italian opponents (D1 L1), but Napoli have never won in Russia either (D1 L1). It may be a good omen for the hosts that their coach Stanislav Cherchesov played in goal for the FC Spartak Moskva side that beat Napoli 5-3 on penalties after two 0-0 draws in the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round.
AS Roma (1-1) ACF Fiorentina
• Fiorentina have already defeated Roma in a knockout tie in the capital this season, 2-0 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals – coach Vincenzo Montella's first victory against his old team with the Viola. In 159 competitive domestic meetings, Roma have managed 52 wins to Fiorentina's 49, with 58 matches drawn.
FC Dynamo Kyiv (1-2) Everton FC
• Dynamo have won just four of their 23 encounters with English sides. However, they have been victorious in their last four European home games – all by margins of two goals or more. Everton, though, are unbeaten in four matches on the road in Europe this campaign: W2 D2.
AFC Ajax (0-1) FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
• Ajax overcame Dynamo Kyiv 2-1 in their sole previous home fixture against Ukrainian opposition, a result which would see them eliminated if repeated versus Dnipro, who have yet to lose in three outings in the Netherlands (W2 D1), scoring two goals in each game (2-2, 2-1, 2-1).
Torino FC (0-2) FC Zenit
• Torino are unbeaten in ten European home matches (W7 D3) stretching back to October 1993. However, draws in their last two UEFA Europa League home fixtures do not augur well for the Zenit decider. Zenit's record in Italy is W1 D1 L2, the reverses coming at Juventus (0-1) and Udinese Calcio (0-2).
FC Internazionale Milano (1-3) VfL Wolfsburg
• Inter are unbeaten in 11 European home games (W7 D4) and have kept clean sheets in four of their five UEFA home encounters this term. Wolfsburg are the least experienced club in the round of 16, with 59 continental fixtures to their name. Inter have the most impressive pedigree with 388 European matches.
Sevilla FC (3-1) Villarreal CF
• Sevilla have won their last four UEFA ties against Liga opponents. Against Real Betis Balompié last season, they recovered from a 2-0 first-leg home loss – a similar challenge to the one Villarreal must meet if they are to proceed to the quarter-finals.
Beşiktaş JK (1-2) Club Brugge KV
• Beşiktaş are yet to yield to a Belgian team in Turkey (W2 D1). Club Brugge are the only side to have made it this far without losing a game. Their record in 13 UEFA Europa League matches this season reads W10 D3.