On Tuesday, Roma pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history, coming back from three goals down to eliminate Barcelona and advance to the semifinals. On Thursday, there will be at least one squad looking to recreate that magic as they head into the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals.
CSKA Moscow was thoroughly dominated by Arsenal in the first leg of their quarterfinal match. The Russian side is now heading home facing the same 4-1 deficit that Roma successfully dealt with, and they have the same glimmer of home: the fact that they already have an away goal in their pocket in the case of a tie in the aggregate score.
Attacking Style a Double-Edged Sword
That’s not enough to make CSKA Moscow’s task easy. But coach Viktor Goncharenko believes that they have a chance, particularly if their opponents stick with their typical attacking style of play.
“Arsenal have a philosophy and have stuck to it for a long time, for many years, regardless of their record,” Goncharenko told reporters. “If they are losing or winning they still play to make supporters and fans happy. When you act like this, trying to cheer up the supporters, you can have some problems in the defense.”
A wide open game could lead to a CSKA comeback, or could simply break the score open even more for the English side. Arsenal (13/10) is still considered a slight favorite over CSKA Moscow (15/8) at William Hill. Few see the hosts winning by enough to go through to the semifinals – but the same was said about Roma just days earlier, a fact that will give the Russian side hope.
Home Sides Hope to Strike Back
All four host teams have some ground to make up heading into the second leg, though the other three games are a bit closer. The toughest job may belong to Sporting Lisbon, which trails Atletico Madrid 2-0 heading into their home match.
Clawing back two goals will be tough for Sporting (3/1), who are playing without Fabio Coentrao and Bas Dost. The club has also been embroiled in drama as team president Bruno de Carvalho criticized his team both after their loss last week, and yet again after Sporting clinched the Primeira Liga title. With that backdrop, it is little surprise that oddsmakers expect Atletico (10/11) to score another win on the road.
Red Bull Salzburg also face a two-goal deficit, but do so after a 4-2 loss at Lazio last week. Those away goals could be crucial if Salzburg (11/10) can tighten up their defense and score a win at home.
Manager Simone Inzaghi made it clear that the Roma miracle was on his mind as well as Lazio (9/4) enters what could be a tough test in Austria.
“I compliment Roma for that game and it proves that these ties are played over 180 minutes, so even with an important first-leg advantage, it can change completely,” Inzaghi told Football Italia. “We are ready, but need another great performance to reach the semi-finals.”
The closest match sees Marseille attempting to come back from a 1-0 deficit at home against Red Bull Leipzig. That solitary goal gives Leipzig (11/5) a slight edge, but Marseille (23/20) will feel they have every chance of turning the tables on Thursday.
Heading into the second quarterfinal leg, Atletico Madrid are the 11/10 favorites to win the Europa League this year and capture a place in next season’s Champions League. Arsenal (5/2), Lazio (13/2) and Leipzig (7/1) are also favored to go through to the final four.
