Europa League 2018: Quarter-Final Leg 1 Live Stream, TV Schedule and Predictions

The last eight of the UEFA Europa League will open their quarter-final accounts on Thursday, where Premier League giants Arsenal host CSKA Moscow looking to keep alive their dream of UEFA Champions League qualification.

The Gunners are sixth in the Premier League and likely see the Europa League as their only route back into the top continental competition. Lazio, fifth in Serie A, are in a similar position and host Red Bull Salzburg in their opening leg.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, will seek to boost their European run when they welcome Sporting Lisbon to the Wanda Metropolitano, having hammered Lokomotiv Moscow 8-1 over two legs to take their spot in the quarters.

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig and Marseille will meet at the Red Bull Arena in a clash between also-rans of the German and French divisions, respectively, each distant hopefuls to the throne in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.

Read on for a preview of Thursday's quarter-final slate, complete with live-stream information and first-leg predictions.

Europa League Quarter-Finals: Thursday, April 5

RB Leipzig 3-1 Marseille, 8:05 p.m. BST/3:05 p.m. ET: Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV (U.S.)

Arsenal 2-1 CSKA Moscow, 8:05 p.m. BST/3:05 p.m. ET: BT Sport 2 (UK), Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV (U.S.)

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Sporting Lisbon, 8:05 p.m. BST/3:05 p.m. ET: BT Sport 3 (UK), Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV (U.S.)

Lazio 2-2 Red Bull Salzburg, 8:05 p.m. BST/3:05 p.m. ET: Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV (U.S.)

Viewers in the United Kingdom can stream the fixtures using the BT Sport app. Fox Soccer Match Pass and fuboTV provide streaming services in the United States.

Preview

Arsenal prepared for their return to European action with a 3-0 win over Stoke City on Sunday, although brace-scorer in that match, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, isn't eligible for the side's CSKA outing.

That being said, ESPN FC's Mattias Karen highlighted Alexandre Lacazette's contribution to the Stoke scoreline as a boost for manager Arsene Wenger, with the Frenchman almost sure to lead the line against CSKA:

Atletico's 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday marked their 19th clean sheet of the season, a cagey but clinical warmup for Thursday's visit of Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.

Sporting were beaten 2-1 in the away leg of their last-16 encounter with Viktoria Plzen, while Atleti's most recent triumph stretched their unbeaten home La Liga streak ahead of Thursday's clash at the Wanda Metropolitano:

Marseille's meeting with Leipzig, despite matching them against one of Germany's best teams, held plenty of promise after they beat Athletic Bilbao 5-2 over two legs in the round of 16.

However, Goal's Mohammed Ali noted the loss of star attacker Florian Thauvin as a crippling blow for Marseille:

Leipzig have beaten Bayern Munich and Zenit St. Petersburg in their last two home outings, and Marseille will feel the absence of Thauvin, their top scorer with 16 goals. However, Lucas Ocampos is their top scorer in Europe with four Europa League strikes.

Lazio may be seen as favourites when they host Austrian powerhouse Red Bull Salzburg, but the latter side's round-of-16 win over Borussia Dortmund means the Eagles won't be taking their opponents lightly.