10.03. (Thu) 21:05 Dynamo Kiev - Manchester City

DID YOU KNOW?

* In their last league match, Dynamo Kiev beat M. Donetsk 2-0 thanks to goals from Popov and Yarmolenko.

* Kiev lie second in the Ukrainian Premier League yet have only won two of their last five league games.

* Kiev’s ground holds around 16,000 spectators but they average just over 8,000 every league game.

* Dynamo have not lost in six Europa League games since a 2-0 defeat at FC Sheriff in the group stage. Furthermore, they are unbeaten in six European home matches since Barcelona defeated them 2-1 in the Champions League in December 2009.

* In addition, they have not conceded in their last three European games at the Valeri Lobanovsky Stadium.

* Manchester City have gone three away games without a win in Europe. After a 3-1 defeat at Lech Poznań, they subsequently drew games with Juventus and Aris Thessaloniki.

* This game in the round of 16 is the only one containing two teams that have never participated in a major European final.

* Manchester City's Spanish winger David Silva played at the Valeri Lobanovskyi Stadium in the Europa League during the 2008/09 season, scoring in a game that Valencia won on away goals.

* Current Kiev manager Yuri Semen is the third manager to take charge of the club in European competition this season. Former manager Valeri Gazzaev and caretaker manager Oleg Luzhny have also sat in the dugout.

* This is the first ever meeting between the two sides.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Dynamo Kiev: Shovkovskiy; Danilo, Ayila, Almeida, Popov; Gusev, Vukojevic, Eremenko, Yarmolenko; Milevsky, Shevchenko.

Manchester City: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta; Y Toure, Barry, Vieira; Silva, Tevez, Balotelli.

Prediction

Kiev have some good technical players but City have their own in Yaya Toure, David Silva and Carlos Tevez. City will want to take a result back to Eastlands to give them a platform to build on in the second leg and should have too much for the Ukrainians – even if Roberto Mancini does rotate his squad as he often does in the Europa League.

Dynamo 0-1 Man City

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10-03-2011 21:05 Benfica - Paris Saint Germain

DID YOU KNOW?

* Benfica have never lost at home to Ligue 1 opponents.

* They also have won nine of their last 11 European home games. They posess a record of W6 D4 L0 against

* Jorge Jesus' men have seen an 18 game winning streak end with defeat to fellow Europa League challengers Braga in the league last weekend

* PSG have a record of W1 D1 L2 in Portugal.

* Les Parisiens have also recorded five draws in their last six European encounters.

* They have yet to taste defeat in an away game since the beginning of the group stage.

LAST MEETING

15 March 2007 UEFA Cup, Benfica 3-1 PSG (4-3 aggregate)

The last time these two clubs met was in the UEFA Cup Round of 16 in 2007. Benfica, who were trailing from the first leg, after PSG recorded a 2-1 success in Paris, rallied back with first-half strikes from Simao and Petit, before Pauleta levelled the tie for the visitors in the 32nd minute. The match seemed to head into extra time, but drama ensued in the last minute as Benfica were awarded a penalty which Simao duly converted to send the home side to the quarter-finals.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Benfica: Roberto Jimenez, Luisao, Maxi Pereira, Coentrao, Sidnei, Aimar, Carlos Martins,Gaitan, Salvio, Cardozo, Saviola

PSG: Edel, Jallet, Tiene, Armand, Sakho, Makelele, Bodmer, Nene, Chantome, Luyindula, Giuly

Prediction

Paris St Germain will find it tough against a team who, just recently has been on a fantastic run of form. Without regular strikers Erdinc and Hoarau, Antoine Kombouare's men will struggle against a Benfica side with considerable strength at home.

Benfica 2-0 PSG

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10-03-2011 19:00 Bayer Leverkusen - Villarreal

DID YOU KNOW?

* Bayer Leverkusen have the meanest defence in the Europa League this season, conceding only two goals, both against Atletico Madrid in 1-1 draws home and away.

* Die Werkself recorded the biggest aggregate victory in the round of 32 when they beat Metalist Kharkiv 6-0.

* The German club have never lost a European encounter under Jupp Heynckes, a run which covers this campaign's efforts in the Europa League in which they have played 10 games.

* Leverkusen have met Spanish opposition in UEFA competition on 21 occasions, winning six, drawing five and losing 10.

* Both clubs won their respective groups, finishing on 12 points each and hitting the back of the net eight times.

* Villarreal's Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi is the competition's third top scorer with six goals. The former Manchester United man has 23 goals in all competitions, making him the Yellow Submarine's top scorer this season.

* The striker is also third on the list of players with the most shots on target in this season's Europa League, with 15 in total.

* Since the start of the group stages, Villarreal have picked up more yellow cards than any other teams, 21 to be precise.

* Villarreal and Leverkusen are both renowned for their relatively small yet intimidating stadiums. El Madrigal and the BayArena hold 25,000 and 30,210 respectively.

* El Submarino Amarillo will be disappointed to come into the round of 16 tie on the back of a disappointing 3-1 away defeat to Atletico Madrid, although the club are still on course to claim a place in next season's Champions League.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Bayer Leverkusen: Adler; Schwaab, Hyypia, Reinartz, Kadlec; Rolfes, Vidal; Sam, Renato Augusto, Castro; Derdiyok

Villarreal: Lopez; Mario, Gonzalo, Marchena, Capdevila; Bruno, Valero, Cani, Cazorla; Rossi, Nilmar

Prediction

Leverkusen 2-1 Villarreal  

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10-03-2011 19:00 PSV Eindhoven - Rangers

DID YOU KNOW?

* PSV have never won a game against a Scottish side. They have a trio of defeats and a draw against Rangers, whilst they also have a draw and a defeat to their name against Dundee United.

* The last time the two sides met was at Ibrox in 1999. The home side ran out 4-1 winners thanks to a Michael Mols brace and goals from Neil McCann and Lorenzo Amoruso. The sole PSV reply came from Ruud van Nistelrooy.

* PSV have not lost in their last nine Europa League games since a 1-0 defeat at FC Sibir Novosibirsk in the first match of the group stage this season.

* Rangers haven't won in their previous six European games (Champions League and Europa League) since beating Bursaspor 1-0 at Ibrox in the autumn.

* Rangers haven't won an away game in Europe since beating Sporting Lisbon 2-0 in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals on 10 April 2008.

* Rangers eliminated Sporting in the round of 32 and every previous time the Gers have beaten them (twice - 1971-72 and 2007-08) they have gone on to reach a European final.

* In domestic cup competitions this year, Rangers were eliminated by Celtic in the Scottish Cup and face the same opponents in the League Cup on March 20.

* PSV were knocked out of the Dutch Cup at the quarter-final stage by FC Twente on penalties.

* In the Eredivisie this season, PSV sit top of the league having lost just three games all season. They have won 10 of 14 home games.

* PSV have scored 16 goals in their last six games in all competitions.

LAST MEETING

October 20, 1999: Rangers 4-1 PSV

Rangers comfortably won this Champions League group game thanks to goals from Lorenzo Amoruso, Neil McCann and a brace from Michael Mols.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

PSV: Isaksson; Marcelo, Pieters, Bouma, Manolev; Hutchinson, Engelaar, Bakkal, Dzsudzsk; Berg, Lens.

Rangers: McGregor; Foster, Bougherra, Weir, Whittaker; Bartley; Diouf, Davis, Edu, Fleck; Healy.

Prediction

PSV have netted 11 goals in their last four Eredivisie games and are three points clear at the top of the league. Meanwhile, Rangers have just edged past St Mirren. However, I expect Rangers to raise their game for this one and I think a score draw is on the cards.

PSV 1-1 Rangers

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10-03-2011 19:00 Sporting Braga - Liverpool

DID YOU KNOW?

* Braga are currently placed sixth in the Portuguese Liga having accumulated 31 points from 22 games in the league. Leaders Porto have twice the number of points with 62 against their name.

* The hosts have four victories, four losses and two draws from their last 10 games in all competitions.

* The Portuguese outfit finished third in Champions League Group H, with three draws and as many victories. They then dropped down into the Europa League.

* Braga began life in the competition with a 1-0 loss to Lech Poznan in the first leg, but a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture saw them set up a clash with Liverpool. The two teams will lock horns for the first time in a Uefa tournament.

* The home side have clashed with English opposition on 10 occasions, and have lost seven of those encounters.

* Liverpool have not lost a single game in the Europa League this season.

* The Reds have won the Uefa Cup - which was the previous version of the tournament - on three occasions. This makes them the most successful club to be left in the competition.

* The Merseyside outfit have scored only nine goals from their seven games in Europe's second-tier club competition.

* Kenny Dalglish's men have not conceded a single goal in their last three games in the current competition, but have managed to score on only one occasion during this time.

* Liverpool have won 25 per cent of their games away from home against Portuguese opposition, winning two of their eight matches to date.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Braga: Artur; Miguel Garcia, Kaka, A Rodriguez, Silvio; Hugo Viana, Custodio, Vinicius, Alan; Lima, Ukra.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Kyrgiakos, Agger, Wilson; Kuyt, Lucas, Meireles, Poulsen, Maxi; Carroll. 

Prediction

Liverpool are vastly stronger than their opponents, on paper. But a football match is won on a pitch and not on a piece of paper. Still, the Reds should be able to win this game with relative ease.

Braga 0-2 Liverpool

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09.03. (Wed) 20:45 Tottenham Hot. - Milan

DID YOU KNOW?

* Tottenham have a 100 per cent record at home in this year’s competition and have scored at least three at White Hart Lane in every fixture.

* The hosts have the third best possession percentage in the competition, averaging 57% - this is only bettered by Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

* Aaron Lennon has the joint highest number of assists in this season’s Champions League, setting up five goals for the White Hart Lane outfit.

* As well as scoring a hat-trick against Young Boys in the play-off round, Peter Crouch is the seventh highest scorer in this season's Champions League proper, having netted four goals in seven games.

* Spurs are the second highest scorers in the competition with 19 goals and a scoring average of 2.71 per game, only one behind Arsenal.

* In contrast, Milan are the joint lowest scorers, alongside Manchester United, to remain in the competition with seven goals and a scoring average of only a goal a game.

* Zlatan Ibrahimovic has committed 19 fouls in the Champions League so far this season, more than any other player remaining in the competion. The Swede has also been caught offside more than any other player so far in the competition, seeing the flag raised 14 times in eight games.

* The visitors have received more bookings than any other team, having picked up 20, an average of 2.86 a game.

* Milan have failed to win in their last six matches against English opposition.

* Having beaten Juventus in Turin on Saturday, Milan have now picked up 31 points in 14 away matches in Serie A this season – the most in the league.

LAST MEETING

February 15, 2011: Milan 0-1 Tottenham

An 80th minute strike from Peter Crouch gave Spurs an away goal and put his side firmly in the driving seat in a feisty affair at the San Siro.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Tottenham: Gomes; Hutton, Dawson, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Palacios, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart; Crouch.

Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Jankulovski; Merkel, Flamini, Seedorf; Robinho; Pato, Ibrahimovic

Prediction

To underestimate a team that is five points clear at the top of Serie A would certainly be foolhardy on the part of Spurs, who have shown stuttering form of late. The qualities of both sides are as evident as they are contrasting and I feel, beneath the floodlights of White Hart Lane, Tottenham's highly charged, physical approach should just about be enough to see them through into the last eight of the competition.

Tottenham 1-1 AC Milan

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09.03. (Wed) 20:45 Schalke 04 - Valencia

DID YOU KNOW?

* Schalke have won all of their home games in the Champions League so far this season. However, the last time the Royal Blues played in front of their own supporters in the knockout rounds of the competition, they went down 1-0 to Barcelona.

* The Miners reached the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition in 2007-08 after getting past Porto in the last 16.

* Schalke have won only one of their last 10 encounters against Spanish oppositions and have managed to score just three goals in the process.

* Striker Raul needs one more goal to equal Filippo Inzaghi's record of 70 goals in European club competitions. Interestingly, all of the Spanish veteran's strikes have come in the Champions League.

* Schalke head into this encounter on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart that stations them just five points above the relegation zone in the German Bundesliga.

* Valencia have won just once in 10 visits to Germany - that 1-0 win came against Schalke in the group stage of the Champions League in 2007-08. Of the other nine matches, los Che have lost seven and drawn two.

* Unai Emery's side didn't lose any of their three away games in the group stage in the competition this season. They destroyed Bursaspor 4-0 in Turkey and drew 1-1 with both Rangers and Manchester United on the road.

* Midfielder David Albelda will make his 50th Champions League appearance with Valencia if he features against Schalke.

* Valencia defender Ricardo Costa played under current Schalke coach Felix Magath when the duo were at Schalke.

* Los Che warmed up for this encounter with a 2-1 away victory over Real Mallorca in the Spanish Primera Division and consolidated their place in third spot.

LAST MEETING

January 15, 2011: Valencia 1-1 Schalke

Roberto Soldado gave Valencia the lead after 17 minutes when he turned in Jeremy Mathieu's cross from the left wing into the bottom right corner. However, Schalke striker Raul restored parity three minutes after the hour-mark. Lukas Schmitz was sent off for the visitors in the final minutes of the match for two bookable offences.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Schalke: Neuer; Uchida, Howedes, Metzelder, Sarpei; Matip, Kluge; Farfan, Raul, Jurado; Edu

Valencia: Guaita; Bruno, D. Navarro, R. Costa, Mathieu; Banega, Topal; Pablo, T. Costa, Mata; Soldado

Prediction

Valencia will not buckle in Germany and given their firepower, they will know that they can score against Schalke. The German Bundesliga club are in turmoil at the moment and Europe is their salvation, which adds extra pressure on them. However, Schalke would think that they have done enough with the away goal scored at the Mestalla.

Schalke 04 2-1 Valencia

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09.03. (Wed) 21:00 Everton - Birmingham City

DID YOU KNOW?

* Everton manager David Moyes is the co-owner of the race horse Desert Cry. Moyes celebrated the Toffees beating Chelsea in the FA Cup by watching the horse ride to victory the very next day at Sedgefield.

* The recent League Cup victory for Birmingham City was Alex McLeish's first major trophy in English football.

* Everton have competed in more top flight seasons than any other side (108). Consequently the Toffees have lost more matches than any other in the top flight side (over 1440 defeats).

* The overall head to head record of these sides is firmly in favour of Everton, who have recorded 61 wins compared to Birmingham’s 26, with 35 draws.

* Of the last four meetings at Goodison Park, Everton have claimed victory only once, a 3-1 victory in November 2007. Yakubu, James Vaughan and future Blues man Lee Carsley with the goals for Everton.

* Birmingham’s League Cup victory was the first major trophy brought back to St Andrew’s since victory in the same cup in 1963. This gives City fans the prospect of European football to look forward to next season.

* One player of yesteryear who unites both sets of supporters is Bob Latchford. Latchford scored 68 times for City and was bought by Everton boss Harry Catterick for a British record £350,000 with future Everton manager Howard Kendall going in the other direction. He went on to score over a century of goals for Everton.

* Birmingham have seriously struggled to get goals on their travels this term. Twelve goals from 12 league games maybe contributing to their relegation fight. Everton have grabbed 21 league goals at Goodison so far this season.

* Both sides have indifferent form of late. Everton have two wins in their last five, excluding the penalty shootout win over Chelsea. Birmingham’s last two victories have come in cup competitions, a 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup and the aforementioned Wembley win over Arsenal in the League Cup.

* Neither side has any player with 10 goals or more this year. Louis Saha and Tim Cahill are both on nine, which makes the absence of the Australian Cahill all the more devastating for Everton. Birmingham’s leading scorer is Nikola Zigic with eight goals, although only five have come in the Premier League. Midfielder Craig Gardner’s seven goals put him second in the list.

LAST MEETING

October 2, 2010: Birmingham City 0-2 Everton

Everton finally recorded their first league win of the season, with Roger Johnson putting past his own goalkeeper before Tim Cahill's late header secured the victory. The match also brought an end to Birmingham's long unbeaten league run at home, which had lasted for over a year.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Everton: Howard; Hibbert, Heitinga, Distin, Baines; Osman, Neville, Rodwell, Arteta; Beckford, Saha.

Birmingham City: Foster; Carr, Johnson, Jiranek, Ridgewell; Bentley, Bowyer, Fahey, Gardner, Larsson; Jerome.

Prediction

A close call this one. The bookies are giving 5/1 on a Birmingham win, long odds which would point to this being a difficult game for the Blues. These teams can’t be separated and a draw seems the most likely.

Everton 1-1 Birmingham

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