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Tense night in Europa League

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 18/03/2010
Football betting

Only Standard Liege can say with confidence that they will be in Friday's draw for the quarter-finals of the Europa League after last week's tight last-16 first leg encounters.

The Belgian side are enduring a desperate season in the Jupiler League and are currently seventh in the table, but produced one of their best displays of the campaign to beat Panathinaikos 3-1 in Greece last week.

Elsewhere, Juventus look set to keep the Serie A flag flying in the competition after beating Fulham 3-1 in last week's first leg. The Cottagers have enjoyed a fantastic season but a hectic campaign finally appears to be catching up with Roy Hodgson's squad.

They still have a chance of winning through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and are safely in mid-table in the Premier League but some of their recent performances have looked tired.

Although Italian teams have endured a dreadful time in Europe this term, culminating in AC Milan's limp showing against Manchester United in the Champions League, Juve remain one of the online betting favourites to win this season's Europa League.

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Liverpool's season could reach a new nadir if they fail to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Lille when they meet the French side in the second leg at Anfield.

Liverpool bowed out of the Champions League before Christmas and are struggling to clinch a top-four place in the Premier League this term so a Europa League exit at this stage could spell the end of Rafa Benitez's tenure on Merseyside.

Last season's semi-finalists Hamburg are on course to reach the last eight of this season's competition after beating Anderlecht 3-1 in the first leg at the Nordbank Arena.

The remaining four ties are all level after the first legs, but Sporting Lisbon will be confident of knocking Atletico Madrid out after holding out for a goalless draw in the Spanish capital last week.

Sporting may be having a terrible domestic campaign but they are excelling in Europe, having beaten Everton in the previous round.

There could be as many as three Bundesliga teams in the quarter-finals as Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg are also in contention to join Hamburg in the last eight after drawing their first-leg clashes against Valencia and Rubin Kazan respectively.

Finally, Marseille could join fellow French side Lille in the last eight after drawing 1-1 at the Stadium of Light last week against one of the favourites for the competition, Benfica.

The Portuguese side thrashed Everton twice in the group stage of the competition before Christmas and saw off Hertha Berlin on a 5-1 aggregate scoreline at the last-32 stage.

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