The Europa League quarter-final second-legs take place on Thursday and only one tie remains finely poised, with Braga and Dynamo Kiev level at 1-1, while PSV Eindhoven, FC Twente and Spartak Moscow face massive uphill tasks.
PSV were hammered 4-1 by Benfica in Portugal and need a minor miracle at the Philips Stadion on Thursday night if they are to progress to the last four.
Both Dutch sides seem doomed to fall at the last eight as FC Twente must overcome a 5-1 deficit after suffering a heavy loss in the first leg at Villarreal. Spartak Moscow were brushed aside 5-1 by Portuguese league-leaders FC Porto in the first-leg, but Spartak, PSV and FC Twente all have the ability to bounce back and secure second-leg wins, although it remains to be seen if they can score enough goals to reach the last four.
Braga have a formidable record on home soil both domestically and in Europe and have won nine, drawn one and lost three of their home league matches to date. In European competitions, both the Champions League and Europa League, the likes of Spanish outfit Sevilla, Scottish giants Celtic and Premier League duo Liverpool and Arsenal have all slipped to defeat at the Estadio AXA and Braga should be in confident mood ahead of Dynamo’s visit.
Braga are 7/5 to beat Dynamo Kiev and considering their home record this season they certainly have the ability to beat their Ukrainian opponents and secure a spot in the last four.
Tournament favourites Porto head to Moscow with a massive lead on aggregate and Spartak have a massive task on their hands. The Russian side will need to attack from the start but Porto have plenty of quality and will be dangerous on the break.
Porto are 11/8 to win the tie and they should be able to pick up a win in Moscow, although they will probably want to keep it tight in the early stages. In the Half-Time/Full-Time market a draw/Porto result is 9/2, while Porto’s Radamel Falcao grabbed a hat-trick in the first-leg and is 6/5 to score any time or 28/1 to help himself to another three goal haul.
PSV have a huge task on their hands after their 4-1 loss in Lisbon, with a last-minute Benfica goal all but putting the tie beyond them.
However, The Dutch outfit have a decent record at home and will be keen to take their revenge over the Portuguese outfit at the Philips Stadion. PSV need to win 3-0, or better, to secure a spot in the last four and a 3-0 score-line in favour of the home side is 22/1. This may, in truth, be beyond PSV as Benfica are a dangerous side on the break but the Dutch title-chasers can still win the tie and restore some pride, with a PSV win in 90 minutes at 7/5.
Spanish side Villarreal appear to have their spot in the last four sealed after their 5-1 win at the El Madrigal. Villarreal’s away form in La Liga is fairly erratic but with the likes of Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi amongst their ranks they can still pick up a win in Holland, especially as Twente need to commit men forward. The Yellow Submarines are 2/1 to secure a win on their travels and they should be able to get the better of FC Twente for a second time after their first-leg success.
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