What to watch out for in this week's first legs
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
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Sevilla chase a first away win of the season at Basel, Valencia and Braga come up against hot shots Aritz Aduriz and Fernandão, while Villarreal and Sparta have history firmly on their side.
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Sevilla's chronic travel sickness
It is one of the biggest current paradoxes in European football: Sevilla are rampant at their Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, winning 19 of 22 home games in all competitions, beating the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid, but cannot muster a victory away, in the Liga or Europe. "It's odd that we haven't won a single away match. It's difficult to explain because we're trying everything but we still can't win," said defender Sergio Escudero after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Getafe. Basel's St. Jakob-Park would be a great place for the UEFA Europa League holders to end the jinx – not least because their ultimate aim is a return to the Swiss city for the 18 May final.
Basel v Sevilla, 19.00
Fernandão's goal standard
Fenerbahçe's Brazilian forward Fernandão took his season's tally to 21 on all fronts with a goal apiece in Thursday's Turkish Cup quarter-final win against Amedspor and Sunday's league triumph at Akhisar. Last term's 22-goal Süper Lig top scorer in Turkey, the 28-year-old is now five short of his overall haul from 2014/15 with Bursaspor.
Fenerbahçe coach Vítor Pereira also came up with an unexpected motivational tool for the recent derby against Beşiktaş, joining forces with chief analyst Melikşah Sezgin to produce a video containing good-luck messages from the players' families. If a complete surprise to the squad, Pereira's move was vindicated by the ensuing 2-0 victory on 29 February.
Fenerbahçe v Braga, 19.00
Sparta seek new heroes
"It was a goal every footballer dreams about scoring in his career – some score them, some don't," said Marek Kincl, recalling his last-gasp header against Lazio that sealed Sparta's qualification from their UEFA Champions League group in December 2003. The two sides have not met since, but on Thursday a new band of Sparta players will bid to step into Kincl's shoes.
The Czech top flight's all-time leading marksman, David Lafata could be the man for the moment having returned to action with a goal in Sunday's 2-1 First League win against Jablonec. "We all hope a capacity crowd will help us get a favourable result for the second leg, we're all looking forward to it," the 34-year-old told UEFA.com. Can he take over where Kincl left off 13 years ago?
Europa League or bust for Lazio
The UEFA Europa League is now Lazio's priority for the season, their home loss to Sassuolo and subsequent draw at Torino having left the capital club nine points shy of sixth-placed AC Milan in Serie A. "I don't know why we played so differently against Galatasaray [in the round of 32] than we did against Sassuolo, when we completely lacked intensity," coach Stefano Pioli said. "Obviously, the UEFA Europa League is our focus right now, but we cannot afford to switch off in Serie A because the season is still long. The Sassuolo result must be a lesson for us ahead of Sparta."
Sparta v Lazio, 21.05
Uncanny omen for Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine torpedoed Bayer Leverkusen 5-3 on aggregate in the round of 16 en route to the 2010/11 semi-finals, after seeing off Napoli in the previous round 2-1 on aggregate – which is precisely the result they got against the Italians in last month's last-32 tie. Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano and defender Mateo Musacchio played in both legs against the German club, but coach Marcelino is in no mood for complacency ahead of the rematch: "We've been drawn with one of the most difficult sides left."
Leverkusen's injury list
In Germany, Leverkusen are known as 'Neverkusen' by opposing fans because they so often fall short in their quest to win the Bundesliga. This has not stopped goalkeeper Bernd Leno from openly voicing his UEFA Europa League ambition, however. "We have set our sights on the title," he said after the Werkself's round of 32 victory over Sporting CP. Since then, though, Bayer have been hit by a wave of injuries, with Kevin Kampl, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Roberto Hilbert, Lars Bender and Stefan Kiessling joining key defender Ömer Toprak on the sidelines. Leno's courageous statement is commendable, yet right now his goal hardly seems attainable.
Villarreal v Leverkusen, 21.05
Aduriz haunting Valencia
Hard to believe now, but few tears were shed when Aritz Aduriz left Valencia in 2012, departing Mestalla with a disappointing return of 23 goals in 84 games. Then 31, the striker was allowed to rejoin Athletic for just €2.5m – and how Valencia may be regretting that decision. Though recently turned 35, Aduriz is playing better than ever, scoring 30 times in all competitions already this season, including three hat-tricks.
"Age is just a number," he said recently. Seven is another number that will be fresh in Valencia minds before their trip to San Mamés – Aduriz has claimed seven goals against them in his career, including the final blow in Athletic's 3-0 Mestalla triumph on 28 February. "He's incredible." said his coach Ernesto Valverde. "I have never seen this in an outfield player. I have run out of superlatives."
Athletic v Valencia, 21.05
Anderlecht out to end wait
Back in the last 16 for the first time in six years, Anderlecht will be keen for a better outcome than in their last attempt – when a 4-3 home victory over Hamburg could not compensate for a 3-1 away loss, in the season a 16-year-old Romelu Lukaku burst onto the European scene. While the now Everton forward has moved on, the likes of goalkeeper Silvio Proto, defender Olivier Deschacht and forward Matías Suárez remain regulars and will seek to steer Les Mauves into their first European quarter-final since the 1996/97 UEFA Cup.
Shakhtar Donetsk v Anderlecht, 19.00
All kick-offs CET