Europa League Results 2014: Predicting Teams That Will Qualify from Round of 32
Thursday evening will reveal which of the participants in the Europa League's round of 32 will be lining up in the next phase of the tournament and which will be headed home.
The field is primed to be chopped in twine, with only 16 places up for grabs in the next knockout stage of Europe's second-most prestigious competition.
Giant names such as Juventus, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Tottenham and more are among those under pressure to advance, and we've made our picks as to who will be lining up in the round of 16.
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| Matchup (Agg.) | Second-Leg Prediction (Agg. Result) | Advancing Team |
| Tottenham vs. Dnipro (0-1) | 2-1 (3-2) | Tottenham |
| Rubin Kazan vs. Real Betis (1-1) | 1-0 (2-1) | Rubin Kazan |
| Napoli vs. Swansea City (0-0) | 2-0 (2-0) | Napoli |
| Trabzonspor vs. Juventus (0-2) | 1-1 (1-3) | Juventus |
| Sevilla vs. Maribor (2-2) | 3-1 (5-3) | Sevilla |
| Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Viktoria Plzen (1-1) | 2-1 (3-2) | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Lyon vs Chornomorets Odesa (0-0) | 1-1 AET (1-1 Lyon win on pens) | Lyon |
| Ludogorets Razgrad vs. Lazio (1-0) | 2-2 (3-2) | Ludogorets Razgrad |
| Fiorentina vs. Esbjerg (3-1) | 1-0 (4-1) | Fiorentina |
| Red Bull Salzburg vs. Ajax (3-0) | 2-2 (5-2) | Red Bull Salzburg |
| FC Basel vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv (0-0) | 2-0 (2-0) | FC Basel |
| Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Porto (2-2) | 2-2 AET (4-4, Porto win on pens) | Porto |
| Genk vs. Anzhi Makhachkala (0-0) | 2-1 AET (2-1) | Genk |
| Valencia vs. Dynamo Kiev (2-0) | 3-2 (5-2) | Valencia |
| Benfica vs. PAOK (1-0) | 1-0 (2-0) | Benfica |
| AZ Alkmaar vs. Slovan Liberec (1-0) | 0-0 (1-0) | AZ Alkmaar |
Must-Watch Matchups
Napoli vs. Swansea City (Agg: 0-0)
Still in its infancy, Garry Monk's tenure as interim Swansea City manager would receive a massive boost if the Welsh outfit were to overcome the odds in beating Italian giants Napoli to a place in the last 16.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock at the Liberty Stadium last week, though the Swans will have taken some major positives away from a result that was not long ago rubbing shoulders with the likes of Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille.
That being said, it's a difficult juggling of priorities for Monk, whose side sit just four points away from the Premier League relegation zone, while Thursday's Naples hosts are seeking to reel in a rampant Juventus Serie A title defence.
It would be an entertaining rag-to-riches tale were Swansea able to triumph at the Stadio San Paolo, but Napoli's sizeable advantage in just about every area of the pitch will ultimately provide the means for victory.
Prediction: Napoli 2-0 Swansea City
Red Bull Salzburg vs. Ajax (Agg: 3-0)
Red Bull Salzburg may not be one of the biggest names in the tournament, but the Austrians are out to win this season's Europa League, with last week's 3-0 win in Amsterdam a clear message of their intent.
After winning all six of their group fixtures, Roger Schmidt's side can sit more comfortably with the knowledge that all they need to do is defend that lead in front of a home crowd.
It makes for a mountainous task on Ajax's part, and Frank de Boer's side would seem likely to bow out of their Europa League trials at the first time of asking, having dropped out of this season's Champions League.
Prediction: Red Bull Salzburg 2-2 Ajax
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Porto (Agg: 2-2)
Eintracht Frankfurt are fully deserving of their contention for a place in the Europa League's round of 16 considering the Bundesliga side managed to come back from two goals down in Portugal, finishing their first leg against Porto on level footing.
However, Armin Veh will be expecting a performance with more initiative on Thursday evening, roared on by the club's renowned home support.
That being said, even a morale boost such as that is only of so much use against a line-up as talented as Porto's, which has shown the ability to duel with some of Europe's biggest names in recent seasons.
In truth, this tie, like the first leg, could well go in either side's favour, but Porto's more recent experience in coping with these clutch situations gives them a slight advantage.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Porto AET (Porto win on penalties)
