Europa League playoff second legs: Previewing the key games

The Europa League second leg playoff round is set to take centre stage this midweek. To some teams, they got the job done in the first leg, others would look to overturn deficits while others would also look to secure victories after playing out draws in the first leg.

Here’s a preview of the key clashes to look out for in the Europa League second-leg playoffs:

AS Roma v Feyenoord 

AS Roma will host Feyenoord in the second leg of the Europa League playoff round at the Stadio Olimpico.

The first leg was played at Stadion Feijenoord (De Kuip), where a first-half goal from Igor Paixão gave the Dutch outfit the lead before in-form Roma striker, Romelu Lukaku levelled proceedings to end the fixture in a tie. Roma fans will be right behind their team for the home leg so getting hold of Europa League tickets hasn’t been easy, with the Stadio Olimpico expected to be sold out for this tie.

Ahead of the game, Roma returned to winning ways in the Serie A with a convincing 3:0 win over Frosinone.

On loan Juventus youngster, Dean Huijsen opened the scoring in the 38th minute before second-half goals from Sardar Azmoun and Leandro Paredes pushed Roma further up to European spots as they currently sit at sixth place on 41 points, only four points behind Atalanta in fourth place.

For the visitors, they extended their unbeaten streak across all competitions to 11 matches when an 84th-minute Mats Wieffer’s strike secured all three points for ten-man Waalwijk in the Eredivisie last weekend.

Feyenoord would savour the chance to end an abysmal record against the Italians as they have recorded only one win in six fixtures.

The Giallorossi triumphed over the Dutch side en route to the Europa League final last season after thumping them 4-1 in the quarter-finals of the competition, despite losing the first-leg 1:0. The Dutch side were also beaten by Jose Mourinho’s led Roma side in the maiden Europa League conference League final in 2022.

With both clubs entering this fixture at the back of victories in their respective domestic Leagues, this clash is poised to be an enthralling fixture.

Olympique Marseille v Shakhtar Donetsk

Olympique Marseille play host to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League second-leg knockout tie at the Orange Velodrome

The first leg clash ended in a draw with Shakhtar coming from behind twice to earn a 2:2 draw.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Marseille the lead in the 64th minute before highly sought-after defender, Mykola Matviyenko restored parity four minutes after. Senegalese forward, Iliman Ndiaye thought he had secured all three points for Les Olympiens in the 90th minute before teenage forward, Eguinaldo scored a 92-minute equaliser to earn a point for the Miners.

Marseille will be entering this game with their third manager of the season, after Gennaro Gattuso was sacked following a string of poor results, particularly the 1:0 loss away to Stade Brestois.

The Ligue 1 outfit currently sit in 9th place in the Ligue 1 standings, only eight points above relegation playoff places.

Newly appointed head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, will hope to turn the tide around at the club, and his first big assignment is against Shakhtar on Thursday.

The Ukrainian Premier League Champions are unbeaten in their last three games, recording one victory and two draws.

Marseille would hope to extend their 13-match unbeaten streak at the Velodrome and victory on Thursday might just be what they need to turn around an abysmal run of form in their domestic League.

Sparta Prague v Galatasaray

Sparta Prague will hope to overturn their first-leg loss when they welcome Galatasaray to epet Arena for the second-leg clash of the Europa League playoff.

The Czech side fell to a dramatic 3-2 defeat in the first leg at RAMS Park.

Galatasaray took the lead through Kerem Demirbay before Sparta restored parity through Angelo Preciado’s strike in the second half.

Okan Buruk’s men took the lead again on the hour mark through Dries Mertens. Their wave of attacking onslaught took a huge turn when centre-back Victor Nelsson received a red card.

The Czech League Champions capitalized on the numerical advantage as Jan Kuchta found the back of the net to level proceedings.

However, both teams were numerically equal after Sparta’s midfielder, Matej Rynes was dismissed.

Both teams had chances to secure victory but looked like it was heading towards a draw when in-form striker, Mauro Icardi struck swiftly into the bottom corner at stoppage time to give Cimbom Avrupa Fatihi the advantage heading into the second leg.

On the domestic front, Sparta strengthened their lead at the cusp of the Fortuna Liga with a 2:1 victory over Slovan Liberec.

On the other hand, Galatasaray extended their winning streak to ten matches across all competitions with a 3:0 win over Ankaragucu to extend their stay at the top of the Turkish Super Lig.

Both teams now enter this fixture inspired by victories in their domestic leagues, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling encounter.

Toulouse vs Benfica 

Toulouse will look to take advantage of Benfica’s slender 2:1 lead when they welcome the Portuguese Champions to Stadium de Toulouse in the Europa League second-leg playoff-off tie.

After playing out a goalless first half, Angel di Maria gave Benfica the lead from the spot in the second half.

In form centre-forward, Thijs Dallinga played a vital part in Toulouse’s equaliser as he provided the assist for Mikkel Desler to give the French side a deserved equaliser in the 75th minute.

Christian Mawissa’s abysmal cameo saw him foul Benfica’s forward, Marcos Leonardo in the penalty box while also receiving two successive yellow cards to reduce Toulouse to ten men.

Di Maria made no mistakes from the spot to give Benfica the lead heading into the second tie.

On the domestic front, Toulouse recovered from their Europa League loss to record a 2:1 victory away to Monaco courtesy of goals from Vincent Sierro and Logan Monaco.

Meanwhile, Benfica completely dismantled Vizela in the Portuguese League clash last weekend with five first-half goals and a second-half goal from Roger Schmidt’s men ensured a 6:1 win for the Portuguese Champions.

Both teams enter this foray at the back of domestic league victories. While everyone would tip Benfica for the win, Toulouse’s victory over Liverpool should be an indicator that they are not to be written off from this competition.