Last week, the first leg of the Round of 32 ties in the Europa League took place and the second leg to these games will be played this week on Thursday. The 16 teams that make it through will then be in action once again on the 8th and 15th of March to decide who makes it through the Round of 16 into the quarterfinals.

It’s a busy period for Europa League teams as the 16 teams that win through this week will have played four games in the same time period that their Champions League counterparts play only two.

In this article, we are going to briefly recap on the results from the 16 first leg games last week and then bring you a brief tip for each of the 16 games taking place this week on how we feel the second leg will go and which of the two teams we believe will make it through into the Round of 16.

Let’s begin with a recap of the results from the first leg games last week.

Europa League Round of 32 – First Leg Results

  • Red Star Belgrade 0-0 CSKA Moscow
  • Nice 2-3 Lokomotive Moscow
  • Napoli 1-3 Red Bull Leipzig
  • Partizan Belgrade 1-1 Viktoria Plzen
  • Astana 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
  • FC Steaua Bucharest 1-0 Lazio
  • Celtic 1-0 Zenit St Petersburg
  • AEK Athens 1-1 Dynamo Kiev
  • FC Copenhagen 1-4 Atletico Madrid
  • Lyon 3-1 Villarreal
  • Marseille 3-0 Braga
  • Real Sociedad 2-2 Red Bull Salzburg
  • Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Atalanta
  • Ostersunds 0-3 Arsenal
  • Ludogorets 0-3 AC Milan
  • Spartak Moscow 1-3 Athletic Bilbao

Both British teams recorded good wins with Arsenal earning a solid 3-0 away win in Sweden against Ostersunds which makes the home leg something of a formality (and gives Arsene Wenger a chance to rest some key players). Celtic played superbly against Zenit St Petersburg, a team that they were not fancied to do well against, earning a 1-0 win at Parkhead meaning that they travel to Russia without conceding an away goal and with a lead to defend.

Other notable performances include Milan’s superb 3-0 win away at Ludogorets, Atletico Madrid showing why they are favourites for this trophy with a superb 4-1 win in Denmark over FC Copenhagen, while Lokomotive Moscow showed their strength with a 3-2 win over Nice, despite being 2-0 down early on in the game.

The biggest shock of the night was Napoli’s 3-1 home defeat to Red Bull Leipzig, with the Italian team well below par against their German opponents.

Europe League Round of 32 – Quick Tips and Predictions

CSKA Moscow (0) v (0) Red Star Belgrade (Wed 5pm)

This game takes place on Wednesday evening and is delicately balanced from the first leg. The fact CSKA didn’t score an away goal could be an issue here, but that is counteracted by the fact they are the home team. I’m backing CSKA to come away with a narrow win in the second leg to progress.

Who will progress? – CSKA Moscow

Match Result Tip (odds) – CSKA Moscow home win (7/10 with Coral)

 

Lokomotive Moscow (3) v (2) Nice

Lokomotive Moscow produced the comeback of the round in the first leg, winning 3-2 from a 2-0 deficit early in the match in Nice. That win puts the Russian league leaders in a strong position going into the home leg and I can’t see them relinquishing that advantage here.

Who will progress? – Lokomotive Moscow

Match Result Tip (odds) – Lokomotive Moscow home win (6/5 with Coral)

 

Red Bull Leipzig (3) v (1) Napoli

Red Bull Leipzig produced a superb performance to defeat Napoli in their own back yard and seemingly take a decisive lead in the tie. Napoli were very poor and I think the result is indicative of the Neapolitans focusing on Serie A this season. As such, Red Bull should earn a win at home here.

Who will progress? – Red Bull Leipzig

Match Result Tip (odds) – Red Bull Leipzig home win (7/10 with Coral)

 

Viktoria Plzen (1) v (1) Partizan Belgrade

Of all the games in the competition, I think this is the most evenly balanced in terms of the score and also the teams competing. There’s very little between the two teams as the first leg proved and while Plzen have home advantage, I fancy the same scoreline and penalties to decide the winner.

Who will progress? – Viktoria Plzen (on penalties)

Match Result Tip (odds) – Draw (13/5 with Coral)

 

Sporting Lisbon (3) v (1) Astana

Sporting produced a superb performance in Kazakhstan to emerge with a solid win in the first leg which should make the return leg at the Jose Alvelade a mere formality. Astana will be looking to limit the damage here and I am expecting Sporting to win by an equally convincing scoreline on Thursday.

Who will progress? – Sporting Lisbon

Match Result Tip (odds) – Sporting Lisbon home win (2/7 with Coral)

 

Lazio (0) v (1) FC Steaua Bucharest

I was surprised Lazio went down to defeat in Romania last week but Steaua are a team with plenty of European pedigree, but they do not travel particularly well. A 1-0 lead isn’t much and I do expect Lazio to turn this one around in what should be a cracking game in the Italian capital.

Who will progress? – Lazio

Match Result Tip (odds) – Lazio home win (2/7 with Coral)

 

Zenit St Petersburg (0) v (1) Celtic

Celtic were brilliant in their 1-0 win at Parkhead last week, but they face a massive return leg in Russia. That lack of away goal for Zenit will I think be key as while I can see Zenit scoring two goals, I fancy Celtic to pinch one and that would be enough to put the Scots through on away goals.

Who will progress? – Celtic (via away goal rule)

Match Result Tip (odds) – Zenit Home Win (4/7 with Coral)

 

Dynamo Kiev (1) v (1) AEK Athens

Dynamo Kiev are a team that flatter to deceive at times but there is no doubt in my mind that they are a stronger team than AEK. An away goal gives them a big advantage heading into the home leg and while this could end 0-0, I think Kiev will score just the one goal to give them a win on the night.

Who will progress? – Dynamo Kiev

Match Result Tip (odds) – Dynamo Kiev home win (4/5 with Coral)

 

Atletico Madrid (4) v (1) FC Copenhagen

This second leg in Madrid should be a formality after Atletico’s superb 4-1 win in Denmark last Thursday. Diego Simeone’s team are the favourites to win this tournament and it would be a huge surprise if they don’t follow up that win, with a big win here too.

Who will progress? – Atletico Madrid

Match Result Tip (odds) – Atletico Madrid home win (2/9 with Coral)

 

Villarreal (1) v (3) Lyon

For me, Lyon have been one of the most consistent teams in this competition this season and I was not surprised they took the first leg with a decent Villarreal side by the 3-1 scoreline. I think this game will be closer but I am backing Lyon to claim a draw which will be enough for them to progress.

Who will progress? – Lyon

Match Result Tip (odds) – Draw (5/2 with Coral)

 

Braga (0) v (3) Marseille

Marseille are in a rich vein of form at the present moment but I was surprised with the ease with which they despatched Braga in the home leg. With little to play for, I can’t see Braga being too motivated for the home leg and as such, I think Marseille will likely sneak another win here.

Who will progress? – Marseille

Match Result Tip (odds) – Marseille away win (31/20)

 

Red Bull Salzburg (2) v (2) Real Sociedad

Red Bull Salzburg will be happy with two away goals and a draw from the opening leg of their tie with Sociedad, but the Spanish side’s better performances in this competition have come on the road and they have the quality to sneak a 1-0 win here and to progress.

Who will progress? – Real Sociedad

Match Result Tip (odds) – Real Sociedad away win (15/8 with Coral)

 

Atalanta (2) v (3) Borussia Dortmund

Michy Batshuayi’s last gasp winner hands Dortmund a crucial advantage going into the second leg. Atalanta will know that a 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 win will do it for them but Dortmund are wily veterans of European competition and I think they’ll do enough to earn a draw to allow them to progress.

Who will progress? – Borussia Dortmund

Match Result Tip (odds) – Draw (5/2 with Coral)

 

Arsenal (3) v (0) Ostersund

I fully expect Arsene Wenger to play a weakened team for this game with the Premier League back on Saturday and the Gunners holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg. In truth, this tie is over and it is just a question of how many Arsenal will score on the night for me.

Who will progress? – Arsenal

Match Result Tip (odds) – Arsenal home win (1/4 with Coral)

 

Milan (3) v (0) Ludogorets

I must admit I expected Ludogorets to give Milan more problems than they did in the home leg in Bulgaria. The Italian side were superb earning a 3-0 win and I can see a similar scoreline being the outcome of the return leg at the San Siro.

Who will progress? – Milan

Match Result Tip (odds) – Milan home win (1/2 with Coral)

 

Athletic Bilbao (3) v (1) Spartak Moscow

Bilbao produced a fine away performance to win 3-1 in Moscow in the first leg, which makes the home leg something of a formality. Spartak were humiliated 7-0 at Anfield in the Champions League Group Stages and I fear they could be on the end of another big defeat here.

Who will progress? – Athletic Bilbao

Match Result Tip (odds) – Athletic Bilbao home win (4/5 with Coral)