Italians set for Europa glory

The surprise inclusion of Champions League flops Manchester United and Manchester City may dominate the Europea League headlines but there are plenty of other contenders for the top prize and Serie A is well represented in the last-32 stage.

Lazio host Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid on Thursday night and both sides are likely to rest some key players for Europe, with league commitments the more pressing priority for the two clubs.

Lazio are currently third in Serie A and on course to book a spot in the Champions League, while Atletico Madrid are off the pace in their own hunt for a top-four finish and will be keen to keep their key men fresh for domestic action.

However, Lazio have an impressive record in Rome, both in Serie A and Europe, and could well be too strong for a weakened Atletico side, who managed just one win away from the Vicente Calderon in the Europa League group stages.

Lazio are 13/10 to secure the win, while the draw can be backed at 9/4 and Atletico Madrid are 21/10 to pick up a victory in the Italian capital.

Udinese are in the hunt for Champions League qualification and the Serie A side have also made changes for their European fixtures to date in the current campaign, opting to rest men for their midweek Europa fixtures.

However, despite the changes made by boss Francesco Guidolin for their European ties, Udinese remain unbeaten at home in Europe and have won 10 of their 12 Serie A fixtures to date at the Stadio Friuli.

Udinese host Greek side PAOK on Thursday and should be able to seal the victory which is priced at 8/11.  The draw is available at 5/2 and a PAOK win is 4/1.

Lokomotiv Moscow are a tough side to beat on home soil and the Russian outfit host Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.

Bilbao have taken their European commitments seriously this season, naming strong squads throughout the group stages, but Moscow is always a tricky place to go regardless of which side you happen to be facing. It should be a tight contest but home advantage could well be crucial and Lokomotiv can be backed at 7/5 to secure the win.

However, while Lokomotiv could win at home the second leg is a different matter all together and over the course of 180 minutes Bilbao should come out on top, with Athletic Bilbao 1/2 to qualify for the next round.

German side Schalke boast an unbeaten away record in Europe this season and the Bundesliga outfit travel to FC Viktoria Plzen, who failed to qualify from a Champions League group that included AC Milan and Barcelona.

Plzen are in the Europa League as they finished third in Group H ahead of BATE Borisov but they managed just one victory in their Champions League campaign and will struggle against Schalke.

Schalke are 6/5 to seal the victory and take an advantage back to Germany for the second leg, while a draw is priced at 11/5 and a home win is available at 12/5.

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