Europa League 2018: Round-of-32 Leg 2 Live Stream, TV Schedule and Predictions
Arsenal, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid are all expected to qualify for the next round of the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League on Thursday, as all three clubs enter the second leg of their round-of-32 ties with a comfortable lead.
The Gunners beat Ostersunds 3-0 and will now be at home, Milan sport the same lead over Ludogorets and Atletico will play host to FC Copenhagen with a 4-1 advantage.
Here's a look at the schedule for the return legs:
Time, Home vs. Away, (TV Info) (First-Leg Score)
Wednesday, February 21
5 p.m. GMT/Noon ET: CSKA Moscow vs. FK Crvena Zvezda (0-0)
Thursday, February 22
4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET: Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Nice (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (3-2)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Atletico Madrid vs. FC Copenhagen (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (4-1)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Dynamo Kyiv vs. AEK Athens (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (1-1)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Celtic (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (0-1)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: RasenBallsport Leipzig vs. Napoli (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (3-1)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Villarreal vs. Lyon (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (1-3)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Viktoria Plzen vs. Partizan Belgrade (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (1-1)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Lazio vs. FC FCSB (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (0-1)
6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET: Sporting CP vs. FC Astana (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (3-1)
8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET: Arsenal vs. Ostersunds FK (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (3-0)
8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET: Braga vs. Marseille (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (0-3)
8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET: Atalanta vs. Borussia Dortmund (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (2-3)
8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET: AC Milan vs. Ludogorets Razgrad (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (3-0)
8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET: Salzburg vs. Real Sociedad (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (2-2)
8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET: Athletic Bilbao vs. Spartak Moscow (BT Sport, Fox Sports) (3-1)
Easy Night for Euro Giants
The Europa League usually throws up a curveball or two in every round, but the top favourites for this year's competition all cruised in the first leg and should have no issues qualifying on Thursday night.
Both Arsenal and Milan bagged three goals away from home, while Atletico also sport a three-goal advantage, even if they did concede in Copenhagen.
The Gunners' next domestic outing will be against Premier League leaders Manchester City, so they'll surely rest a number of starters on Thursday. Milan will visit Roma in Serie A so could follow suit, and Atletico travel to Sevilla, so they likely won't be taking any chances, either.
Neutral fans hoping for a tight clash between Napoli and RB Leipzig were also disappointed after the first leg, as the Partenopei decided to rotate their squad and focus on Serie A instead―a heavy defeat was the logical consequence.
There are plenty of exciting and close ties still on tap―Lazio will have to dig deep against FCSB, for example―but the tournament favourites should not be in any danger on Thursday.
Another Epic Between Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund
Neutral fans looking for a spectacle should tune into the clash between Atalanta and Borussia. The teams combined for five goals in the first leg, with two lead changes and a last-minute winner from Michy Batshuayi.
Atalanta's great showing was no flash in the pan, either. The club from Bergamo have been in solid form all year long and have played some of their best football in Europe―most notably in the contests against Everton.
Two away goals give Atalanta the advantage, but the Nerazzurri had to dig deep against Fiorentina and will play Juventus at the weekend, so they will have to pace themselves. Dortmund's next outing is against Augsburg, winners of just one of their last five Bundesliga matches.
