Europa League Previews
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lech-Poznan-c39779 Vs Braga
The Polish side deserved to make it to the last 32 of this season’s UEFA Europa League and even managed to grab a few headlines during the group stage of the competition. Their remarkable performances are the only reason why Italian giants Juventus are not in the Europa League anymore; and eliminating a side as strong as the Old Lady should serve as a warning to any opponent. Their next task is to oust Portuguese side Braga who were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League.
Poznan captain http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bartosz-Bosacki-c7331 says that his side’s run in the Europa League will go down as the finest one in the history of Polish football after the Poles finished level with Manchester City on 11 points. Latvian playmaker Artjoms Rudnev has been the side’s star player. The Poles have never gone this far in Europe before and have a great chance of going even further against a Braga side that is not that experienced in continental competition.
However, the Portuguese side has been equally impressive in the tournament. They managed to beat Celtic and Sevilla en route to the knockout phases but since then have seen a massive dip in form. Unlike last season, Braga aren’t contending for the title in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Portugal-c2984 so it is very likely that they will not feature in Europe next season.
Prediction
The Poles are playing at home where they have been unbeaten, so on the basis of form and home advantage they have a great chance of getting the upper hand tonight heading into the second leg at Braga.
Young Boys Vs Zenit St. Petersburg
The Swiss side has had a great European campaign so far and they will be hoping to go even further in the Europa League. Tonight, they host Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg, who have been equally efficient in Europe so far.
However, like other Russian clubs, Zenit lack match practice as they haven’t played a competitive game since the end of the Russian domestic season in November. Zenit won the UEFA Cup in 2008 but many expect that the Russians might struggle in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Switzerland-c3016. However, they will still have the upper hand if they manage a draw out of this game.
Prediction
Young Boys have been really classy in Europe this time around but they might find it hard to score against Zenit since they have a good defence. Even a draw will suffice for the Russians who play the second leg at home.
PAOK Salonika Vs CSKA Moscow
The Greek side will definitely head into this game as the underdogs. Salonika were the lowest scorers in the Europa League to qualify for the round of 32. They scored just 5 goals in the entire Group stage and finished second in Group D. However, the Grecian side has been formidable at home this season. In their last 6 European encounters at home, they haven’t lost a single game and they will do everything to make life tough for the Russian giants.
CSKA Moscow were simply imperious in the Group Stages of the Europa League and topped Group F easily. It is a near-perfect scenario for Leonid Slutsky’s side and they will be aiming to win the game against the Grecians. CSKA Moscow won the UEFA Cup in 2005 but a lack of match practice may hinder their performance. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Keisuke-Honda-c20516 are major doubts for this game.
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