There were only five clean sheets in the 16 first leg matches of the Europa League last 32. This suggests away goals are not as important as they once were in European competition – teams are more capable of scoring on the road.
Tournament Betting Europa League favourites with Liverpool managed to shut out their opponents last week, beating Unirea Urziceni 1-0 at Anfield. The Reds have the European experience and tactical nous to protect that lead in Romania and a similar scoreline could be the result to follow in this one.
Hamburg also hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg. They travel to PSV Eindhoven on the back of a goalless draw against Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend and they must guard against playing for the same scoreline in the Netherlands. Hamburg lost twice on their travels in the group stage and could slip-up again in what promises to be a tight affair.
Villarreal and Wolfsburg shared an entertaining 2-2 draw in their first leg, but in truth the German champions should have won and all but guaranteed their spot in the next round. They ended their terrible domestic winless run on Sunday and should do enough to advance.
Red Bull Salzburg were the only team to reach the knockout stages with a 100% record from the group stage, but the Austrian champions lost out in a five-goal first leg thriller against Standard Liege, letting a 2-0 lead slip. Nonetheless, they should be too strong at home for the Belgians.
Twente edged out 2009 runners-up Werder Bremen 1-0 last week, but the Dutch outfit might need to score in the second leg – Werder’s last five league matches have produced 25 goals. Extra time seems unlikely in this tie.
Lille maintained their excellent domestic form during the 2010 Football World Cup year at the weekend with their 12th win out of their last 15 matches. They will need to perform well to protect a 2-1 first leg lead at Fenerbahce, who are strong at home.
Everton lead Sporting Lisbon by the same scoreline, but the in-form English club should have been out of sight after dominating at Goodison Park. Buoyed by a stunning weekend win over Manchester United, they should triumph in Portugal.
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