Barcelona vs. Napoli (Thursday, 5.45pm)
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Barcelona will be looking to secure an advantage when they welcome Napoli to Camp Nou on Thursday evening for the first leg of their knockout round playoff clash in the Europa League.
The Catalan giants dropped into this competition after finishing third in their Champions League group, while Napoli finished second in their Europa League section behind Spartak Moscow.
We say: Barcelona 2-2 Napoli
This should be a cracking game of football, as both sides will believe that they can hurt the other in the final third of the field. Goals must be expected at Camp Nou on Thursday, and we are backing an entertaining 2-2 draw, which would leave the tie delicately poised ahead of the return fixture in Italy.
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> How Barcelona could line up against Napoli
> Barcelona injury, suspension list vs. Napoli
Zenit vs. Real Betis (Thursday, 5.45pm)
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Zenit St Petersburg will welcome Real Betis to the Gazprom Arena on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League knockout tie.
The reigning Russian Premier League champions enter the competition after dropping down from the Champions League, while Manuel Pellegrini's side feature in the playoff round following a second-place finish in their Europa League group.
We say: Zenit St Petersburg 1-1 Real Betis
Although the visitors may be missing a couple of key players, they have proven to be a tough team to beat on their travels this season.
Zenit, meanwhile, may be slightly undercooked due to the lack of competitive football and though they possess home advantage, we think they may be held to a draw on Thursday.
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Dortmund vs. Rangers (Thursday, 5.45pm)
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The Europa League returns on Thursday night as Borussia Dortmund host Rangers in the first leg of their knockout round match, with each team hoping to earn a place in the next stage of the competition.
The hosts have two of their last four fixtures, while the Gers head into this game on the back of three victories without conceding a single goal.
We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Rangers
Both teams will be aiming to establish an early advantage in this first leg, but with Borussia Dortmund having the benefit of being at home, they will likely take all three points, especially with their squad depth.
However, Rangers have been in fine form lately, especially from an offensive perspective, which is why they will likely at least get themselves an away goal.
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Sheriff Tiraspol vs. Braga (Thursday, 5.45pm)
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Sheriff Tiraspol and Braga resume their European campaigns on Thursday evening with the first leg of their last 32 tie in the Europa League.
While the visitors progressed through to this stage courtesy of a second-placed finish in their group, Sheriff dropped down from the Champions League having finished third behind Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
We say: Sheriff Tiraspol 1-1 Braga
Sheriff shown enough during their Champions League fixtures that they will not be overawed by a game of this magnitude. Nevertheless, Braga are always dark horses at this level, and we feel that the Portuguese outfit will do enough to earn a share of the spoils.
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Sevilla vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Thursday, 8.00pm)
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Sevilla will be looking to secure an advantage when they welcome Dinamo Zagreb to Spain for the first leg of their Europa League knockout round playoff contest on Thursday night.
The home side dropped into this competition after finishing third in their Champions League group, while Dinamo were second in their Europa League section behind West Ham United.
We say: Sevilla 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo are more than capable of making this a tough assignment for Sevilla, who have disappointed in Europe this season. The La Liga outfit will fancy their chances of securing a first-leg advantage, though, and we are expecting them to run out 2-1 winners at Estadio Ramon on Thursday.
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RB Leipzig vs. Real Sociedad (Thursday, 8.00pm)
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RB Leipzig welcome Real Sociedad to the Red Bull Arena on Thursday evening for the first leg of the pair's Europa League knockout round playoff.
The hosts qualified for the playoff by finishing third in Champions League Group A, whilst their upcoming opponents finished the Europa League group stages second to Monaco.
We say: RB Leipzig 2-1 Real Sociedad
Both teams have shown some good form recently, though the away side suffered a disappointing 4-0 exit from the Copa del Rey. With five wins from their previous six games and home advantage on their side, we are backing Leipzig to come away with a narrow victory to take into the crucial second leg.
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Atalanta vs. Olympiacos (Thursday, 8.00pm)
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Battling for a place in the Europa League last 16, Atalanta BC and Greek champions Olympiacos meet for the first time on Thursday, in the opening leg of their playoff tie.
The teams convene in Bergamo, after the hosts were eliminated from the Champions League group stage and their visitors qualified as Group D runners-up.
We say: Atalanta BC 1-1 Olympiacos
While impressively disciplined in their draw with Juventus, another failure to pick up maximum points will inevitably knock confidence in an ailing Atalanta squad, which has lost direction since the turn of the year.
Though lacking the individual quality of their hosts in several departments, Olympiacos can boast enough experience and nous to grind out a first-leg draw and keep this tie in the balance heading back to the Greek capital.
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Porto vs. Lazio (Thursday, 8.00pm)
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Contesting a place in the Europa League last 16, Primeira Liga leaders Porto and Serie A side Lazio meet in the competition's playoff round on Thursday.
The teams convene at Estadio do Dragao for the first leg, after the hosts dropped down from the Champions League and their visitors came through the group phase as runners-up.
We say: Porto 2-1 Lazio
Though Lazio are on a largely positive run of form they do not often travel well, so Porto can take a first-leg advantage to Rome next week.
Despite recent improvement, the visitors can also be exploited defensively, and the Primeira Liga leaders have sufficient firepower to make them pay for any slip-ups or positional errors.
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Matt Law
