We have four early fixtures in the Europa League knockout phase to preview with you football fans today, the first one being from the San Mames where Bilbao will welcome Roma for the return leg. Bilbao managed to take the lead in the first leg but ended up losing the match 2-1, Ernesto Valverde’s team would have been disappointed to give their lead away but they did get an away goal on the board which means that a 1-0 home victory here would be enough to take them through. The Spanish side are without a win in three games losing away at Atletico Madrid (1-0), then their defeat against Roma in this competition and then only managing a draw at home to Mallorca (1-1) on Saturday.
The visitors Roma have the advantage going into the second leg here after the 2-1 victory at home, Claudio Ranieri’s side have now won six matches on the bounce in all competitions. The good run started with an away victory against Parma (0-1), followed by a home win against Porto (3-2), then two home wins against Monzo (4-0) and Como (2-1). Then their first leg win against Bilbao was followed by a win away from home to Empoli in Serie A last weekend (0-1). We can expect a cagey affair but the side that scores the opening goal of the game will likely go on and progress to the next stage.
Match betting odds at American betting sites for UK: Bilbao 10/11, Roma 3/1 and the Draw 5/2. Kick off 17.45pm Live on TNT Sports 5.
The second fixture is from the Deutsche Bank Park where Frankfurt welcome Ajax for the return leg, Dino Toppmoller’s side came from a goal down to win the first leg 2-1 which now gives them a great head start coming into this game. They know a draw would be good enough to go through or even a 1-0 defeat because of the away goals rule. The German side’s form hasn’t been good as of late in the Bundesliga where they have lost their last three games away to Bayern (4-0), at home to Frankfurt (1-4) and then at home to Union Berlin (1-2) last weekend.
The visitors Ajax face an uphill task here, Francesco Farioli’s side would welcome an early goal lead here as that will completely change the atmosphere in the stadium. The Dutch side have won their last ten games in the Eredivisie and are on course for the title as they have an eight point lead with just nine games remaining of the 24/25 season. The game definitely has goals in it and we wouldn’t be surprised to see both sides get on the scoresheet.
Match betting odds at European gambling sites: Frankfurt 19/20, Ajax 14/5 and the Draw 27/10. Kick off 17.45pm Live on TNT Sports 6.
The third fixture is from the Stadio Olimpico where Lazio will welcome Plzen for the return leg, Marco Baroni’s side scored a 98th minute winner last week winning the contest 2-1. The Italian side ended up finishing the match with nine men on the field after Nicolo Rovella and Samuel Gigot saw straight red cards so although this contest is in their hands with the two away goals they can’t afford to be not disciplined and remain with eleven players on the field. They remain on course for a place in Europe next season as Baroni’s side sit in 5th with ten games of the Serie A season remaining.
The visitors Plzen will push for an early goal here to unsettle the homeside, Miroslav Koubek’s side know they need to score at least two goals to have any chance of progressing to the next round. The Czech side sit third in the First League but with just five games remaining they know they will be playing European football next season but the title is out of reach. They can still finish second in the league with just two points separating themselves from second place Sparta Prague. We can’t see anything other than a home victory here but will the away side get on the scoresheet?
Match betting odds at non UK casinos: Lazio 25, Plzen 15/2 and the Draw 4/1 Kick off 17.45pm Live on TNT Sports 8
The last of the early kick offs is from the Georgios Karaiskakis where Olympiacos host Bode/Glimt, Georgios Karaiskakis’s side face a massive challenge here as they need to chase down a three goal deficit. The Greek side have the Super League title won with two games of their season remaining as well as a chance of more silverware in the Greek Football Cup where they are at the semi final stage. We know the homeside will come out attacking but have left themselves with a challenge out of reach here to progress to the next stage of the competition.
The visitors Bode/Glimt know they only need to not lose their heads if they concede an early goal here, Kjetil Knutsen’s side will arrive here fresh as their new season doesn’t start until the end of March. We can’t see them getting a win here but have they built a big enough lead to go into the hat for the next knockout games?
Match Betting: Olympiacos ½, Bode/Glimt 11/2 and the Draw 7/2 Kick off 17.45pm Live on TNT Sports 7