A place in the last four of the UEFA Europa League is within sight, as the return legs of the quarter-final stage culminate on Thursday.
Here’s a look at the match-ups.
Thursday programming alert: Watch Rubin Kazan v Chelsea (on Sportsnet World), Newcastle v Benfica (on Sportsnet ONE) and Basel v Tottenham Hotspur (on Sportsnet World). Live coverage begins at noon pm ET/9:00 am PT. Also, watch Lazio v Fenerbahce exclusively on Sportsnet World Online
Rubin Kazan vs. Chelsea
The heroics of Fernando Torres lifted Chelsea to a 3-1 victory last week at Stamford Bridge. His two-goal performance gave the Blues a comfortable advantage heading into the return leg in Russia. It won’t be your average home fixture for Rubin, as they’ve been forced to play the match at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
Rubin has kept four clean sheets in five home fixtures, conceding only once in the competition. An early goal would be the ideal start for the hosts, as Rafa Benitez will be taking a strong Chelsea squad to Russia, and will not be content to just sit back and preserve their lead.
The incessant anti-Benitez chanting has become less frequent of late, with the Blues looking all the more likely of a top-four finish in the Premiership and the possibility of winning two pieces of silverware. However, recent comments made by Benitez about one day returning to manage Liverpool should provide added fodder for the small section of Blues supporters who are committed to making his final months as uncomfortable as possible.
FC Basel vs. Tottenham
Spurs limp into St Jakob-Park without the services of a core group of contributors, most notably Garteh Bale. The Welshman sustained a nasty ankle injury in last week’s shocking 2-2 draw. He wasn’t the only casualty that night — Aaron Lennon and William Gallas were also forced off through injury. It leaves manager Andre Villas-Boas with a huge dilemma, as Jermaine Defoe is still on the sidelines, which means Emmanuel Adebayor will be entrusted with leading the front line. The Togolese striker has found the net three times in his last five matches after scoring justthree in his previous 23 appearances.
The Swiss champions are an entirely different team on home turf, and undefeated in this competition — winning their last four matches — having last tasted defeat back in August during Champions League qualification. Villas-Boas is forced to rely on a depleted and fatigued squad from a disadvantageous position. Spurs’ hopes of progressing to the last four hinge on the trio of Clint Dempsey, Lewis Holtby and Gylfi Sigurdsson to pick up the slack.
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Lazio vs. Fenerbahce
Fenerbahce walk into an empty Stadio Olimpico with a two-goal advantage following a relentless performance in Istanbul. Dirk Kuyt netted the decisive blow in injury time to give his side some breathing room for the return leg. It took almost 80 minutes, despite being a man up for the majority of the second half, but the breakthrough was made from the spot, Pierre Webo taking advantage of an unfortunate handball by Stefan Radu.
The result could have been a lot worse, with the Turks also hitting two posts. However, the challenge of overturning a 2-0 deficit is bad enough. Lazio has to win by three clear goals, not an impossible ask, but void of atmosphere at their home stadium and the chances decrease significantly. Rome was hit with another incident of fan violence over the weekend, when fans clashed close to the stadium before the Derby della Capitale when six were stabbed. The consequences to similar inexcusable acts of hooliganism will be felt at kickoff and through the course of 90 minutes on Thursday.
Newcastle United vs. Benfica
Alan Pardew was left to dwell on missed opportunities and defensive errors on the flight back to Tyneside from Lisbon following a 3-1 loss. Papiss Demba Cisse could have easily scored a hat trick, but was denied twice by the post after opening the scoring in the first half. He combined brilliantly with Moussa Sissoko throughout the opening 45 minutes to cause Benfica all sorts of problems.
The second half was a completely different story, with defensive lapses ruining what could have been a position of strength heading back to St. James Park. Tim Krul was brilliant, making key saves to keep a positive result within reach, but was ultimately let down by his defenders, none more obvious than Davide Santon’s horrendous back-pass that allowed Lima to score the go-ahead goal. It could prove to be the crucial turning point in this series.
Scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem for Newcastle, especially with over 50,000 Geordies singing in unison. The problem rests with keeping the ball out of their net. Krul will be aiming for a clean sheet, though, it won’t be easy to keep Oscar Cardozo and Lima quiet.
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