Roma vs Milan
The Italian derby in the Europa League quarterfinals faces its second and final installment today, April 18th. Roma and Milan will clash from 21:00 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, having played the first leg at Milan's San Siro Stadium (0-1 in favor of Roma). Initially not seen as favorites, Roma managed to continue their good form in the first leg. The impact of Daniele De Rossi, who replaced Mourinho as coach last January, is also yielding results in Europe. Mancini's goal puts the Giallorossi in a favorable position for the match at their stadium, which could secure their second Europa League semifinal appearance in the last two seasons.
On the other hand, Milan saw their certainties dissipate after the defeat in the first leg. Stefano Pioli's team missed the opportunity to make an impact at San Siro and now must travel south with a goal to recover.
Attempting to continue the good results streak
The Giallorossi arrive in excellent form for the match. Since mid-February, they have lost only one game—a fruitless defeat at Brighton, which did not prevent their progression to the next round of the Europa League. In the last league match, however, football was overshadowed due to a scare involving Evan Ndicka, who had to leave the match against Udinese (later postponed) due to an apparent cardiac issue that was not serious.
For the Rossoneri, the setback against Roma has reintroduced doubts. In their last Serie A commitment, Milan only managed a 3-3 draw against Sassuolo, who had taken a 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes of the game. Milan's inconsistency, which has been affecting them since autumn, will largely decide their future in the Europa League.
Milan will cling to the statistics from their last matches against Roma to believe in a comeback. Before last week's 0-1 at San Siro, the last defeat of the Rossoneri against the capital team dated back to November 2019 (also at the Olimpico), a 2-1 with goals from Dzeko, Zaniolo, and Theo.
West Ham vs Leverkusen
Leverkusen arrives in London to face West Ham as the new champions of Germany. Led by Xabi, they come to the return leg of the quarterfinals with a two-goal advantage. In the first leg, they were superior to the 'hammers' who tried to counterattack and focused on defending. Although the goals from Hofmann and Boniface leave Leverkusen with one foot in the semifinals.
David Moyes' team fell at the BayArena in a match where they aimed to keep the draw from the start. Although they were close to achieving it, the substitutions made by Xabi Alonso ruined the Londoners' plans with 10 minutes remaining. Both Hofmann in the 83rd minute and Boniface in the 91st minute gave the victory to the Germans, almost sealing the tie. Thus, the 'hammers' will have a tough time reaching the semifinals of the Europa League this year. The last time they did it was in the 2021/22 season when they fell to Eintracht Frankfurt.
West Ham is not in its best moment to face the return of the quarterfinals. After the defeat in Germany, Moyes' team fell to Fulham by two goals to nil. To make matters worse, the Scottish coach will not be able to count on Lucas Paquetá or Emerson due to an accumulation of cards. However, Jarrod Bowen might play some minutes tomorrow, although he has only trained once with the team.
The team led by Xabi Alonso wants to keep dreaming. Last Sunday, they achieved a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen, thus becoming league champions for the first time in their history. But Xabi's pupils do not want the party to stop, as they have two more trophies to compete for.
Marseille vs Benfica
The Minots head into the match in the worst streak of the season, having lost their last five games. Villarreal, Rennes, Lille, PSG, and today's opponent, Benfica, have recently defeated OM with a tally of three goals for and twelve against. They have been very inconsistent this season, going through three coaches. They are currently ninth in Ligue 1, far from where they should be. They still have a chance to qualify for European competition but need to turn things around. Today, their stadium will be a cauldron of pressure.
Moreover, they will face the match with several key players missing, such as Clauss or Sarr. Onana, Rongier, Nadir, and Meité will also miss the game.
Although they come with an advantage and good sensations from the first leg, the tie remains open. The season for the Lisbonites has been more solid, but it seems they will lose the league to Sporting. They are second, seven points behind and eleven points ahead of Porto. They have also recently fallen in the cup, so this is their last chance to avoid a blank year.
Three wins, one draw, and one loss, that is the record of the Eagles in their last five games. This weekend they did have a league match, unlike their rival, but Schmidt rested several starters. Tomás Araujo and Bernat, who has barely been able to play this year, are the only absences for the Portuguese.
Atalanta vs Liverpool
The three-goal advantage and the great football display of "La Dea" make the Italians clear favorites to reach the semifinals. On their part, the Reds must cling to the mystique of the club to turn the tie around.
Gian Piero Gasperini's team is currently the clear favorite to reach the semifinals, thanks to the fantastic result of the first-leg match. Opposite them, a Liverpool in a slump, which now has to attempt a comeback in Bergamo. A golden opportunity for the Italians to make a statement. They are currently 6th in Serie A, four points behind Roma's position. They have just dropped two points at home against Hellas Verona and have won only two of their last five matches, one of them at Anfield.
But if there's something Atalanta excels at this season, it's the big matches, and today's is one of them. The only absence for "La Dea" in this match is Giorgio Scalvini, who will not be available until early May.
Jürgen Klopp's team faces a chance for redemption, but to achieve it, they must mount a comeback in Bergamo. The crushing 0-3 loss in the first leg leaves the English with very few chances to advance to the next round, but if this team knows how to do something, it's to turn around bad situations. They are currently 3rd in the Premier League, two points behind the leader, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, and tied in points with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
They come from a 0-1 loss at Anfield against Crystal Palace with a solitary goal from Eberechi Eze, and from their last five matches, they have only won two, also suffering two consecutive defeats. The German coach recovers Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, and Stefan Bajcetic for this match, although he will not have Thiago Alcántara or Ben Doak available.