Europa League 2016: Round of 16, Leg 1 Live Stream, TV Schedule and Predictions
An English derby between Liverpool and Manchester United headlines this season's Europa League round of 16, where the Premier League pair are desperate to claim a first-leg advantage at Anfield on Thursday.
The competition may be touted as Europe's second-tier contest, but one wouldn't guess that from the quality of matchups this week as Tottenham Hotspur travel to Borussia Dortmund, while Athletic Club Bilbao host Spanish rivals Valencia.
Title holders Sevilla also travel to Swiss champions Basel in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash, while Villarreal prepare for the visit of German giants Bayer Leverkusen at El Madrigal.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
We provide all the necessary viewing information for Thursday's round-of-16 schedule to ensure you don't miss a minute of the drama, complete with match preview and predictions further ahead.
| 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET | Shakhtar Donetsk | 3-1 | Anderlecht | BT Sport Extra 4 (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET | Basel | 1-1 | Sevilla | BT Sport Extra 2 (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET | Borussia Dortmund | 1-1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Fox Sports 2 (US)/ESPN Deportes (US)/BT Sport 2 (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US), Watch ESPN (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET | Fenerbahce | 1-1 | Braga | Fox Sports 2 USA/BT Sport Extra 3 (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET | Villarreal | 2-0 | Bayer Leverkusen | ESPN Deportes (US)/BT Sport Extra 3 (UK) | Watch ESPN, Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET | Athletic Bilbao | 1-0 | Valencia | BT Sport 2 (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET | Liverpool | 2-1 | Manchester United | Fox Sports 2 (US)/BT Sport Europe (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
| 8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET | Sparta Prague | 2-2 | Lazio | BT Sport Extra 4 (UK) | Fox Soccer 2Go (US)/BT Sport app (UK) |
Liverpool Get Leg Up On Red Devils
Football fans licked their lips at the prospect of seeing Liverpool and Manchester United lace up against one another in European competition when the round-of-16 draw was announced, Europa League or not.
And after losing to the Red Devils on two occasions in league competition this term, Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne has said it's high time his side snatched some revenge, per the Mirror's David Anderson:
"I think we owe them from the Premier League games, which we probably should have got more out of. But we have time now to put things right and progress in the cup.
We’ve learned to just keep fighting to the end. We know we can create chances and if we’re solid in defence we can stop their attack. Hopefully we can get the goals and get a good result going into the second leg.
"
The Merseysiders may have lost the Capital One Cup final to Manchester City on penalties, but let's not forget that came from drawing 1-1 after 120 minutes of play. What's more, Jurgen Klopp's side thundered back into form with a 3-0 win over the Citizens in the league just days later.
While Liverpool are enjoying a six-match unbeaten run—penalty shootouts notwithstanding—Manchester United are still smarting from a limp 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The Mirror's Liam Canning confirmed that result as a first for manager Louis van Gaal, but not the kind he's seeking:
Klopp appears to be finding his groove after five months at the Liverpool helm, and while his attack has enjoyed a hot streak of 13 goals in six outings, United continue their search for scoring consistency.
One can bank on the derby going to the final whistle, but Liverpool are more than capable of clinching an advantage before making the trip back to Old Trafford.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United
Spurs Share the Spoils at Signal Iduna Park
Tottenham make the trip to North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday having failed to win in either of their last two matchups, losing 1-0 at West Ham United before drawing 2-2 with Arsenal in Saturday's north London derby.
The timing is poor from their perspective, too, as they prepare to face a Borussia Dortmund side unbeaten in their 15 outings across all competitions this year and having just drawn 0-0 with Bayern Munich.
But despite Spurs' recent failure to clinch wins, they still boast the best defence in the Premier League, having conceded only 24 times this season.
Both teams have transformed greatly since their last European meeting in 2008, as depicted by the official Europa League Twitter account:
Like Tottenham, Thomas Tuchel's side find themselves contending for their domestic league title, sitting in second place and five points below Bayern Munich—the same distance separating Spurs from Leicester City.
With 59 goals scored in 25 league outings this term—joint with Bayern as Germany's best attack—it seems unlikely Dortmund will fail to score at home this Thursday. But they face a defence that's trumped Manchester City on two occasions this season and looks capable of restraining Europe's elite.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
