The end of the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs is here! Eight matches are scheduled for February 23, with the upcoming ties set to decide the final tickets to the round of 16.
The eight group winners from the previous round all received a bye while the runners-up entered the playoffs, where they were matched up with the UEFA Champions League teams that got eliminated from the group stage of that tournament.
As a result, a number of juicy fixtures were set up, including Manchester United vs Barcelona, which is the standout clash on Thursday. These two continental powerhouses played out a thriller at Camp Nou in the previous leg and will now decide the tie at Old Trafford.
However, that isn't the only exciting match taking place. The likes of Monaco, Leverkusen, Roma, Juventus, RB Salzburg, Ajax, and Sevilla are all fighting to progress to the next round. Here's everything you need to know about the 2nd leg matches.
What are the aggregate scorelines from the 1st leg of the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs?
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PSV (0) vs (3) Sevilla
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Nantes (1) vs (1) Juventus
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Midtjylland (1) vs (1) Sporting CP
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Monaco (3) vs (2) Leverkusen
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Union Berlin (0) vs (0) Ajax
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Roma (0) vs (1) RB Salzburg
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Rennes (1) vs (2) Shakhtar Donetsk
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Manchester United (2) vs (2) Barcelona
Top games to watch in the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs
Manchester United vs Barcelona
All eyes will be on this clash as Manchester United and Barcelona will battle it out in front of what should be a sold-out Old Trafford crowd. These two European giants played out a thriller in the first leg at Camp Nou, with that tie ending in a 2-2 draw. Unfortunately for the Blaugrana, that game came at a huge cost as Pedri limped off injured while Gavi got suspended, leaving Xavi's midfield depleted.
Ten Hag's side, on the other hand, will be welcoming back a few players from injury and will enter this tie on the back of their 3-0 victory over Leicester during the weekend. Marcus Rashford grabbed a brace in that win, thus stretching his remarkable goalscoring streak at home in the Premier League to seven consecutive games. The in-form English attacker has scored a whopping 16 goals across all competitions since the FIFA World Cup and will look to inspire his team to a victory.
Monaco vs Leverkusen
Despite playing at home and scoring two brilliant goals in the first leg, Leverkusen head into their 2nd leg showdown with Monaco trailing 3-2. And to make things worse, Xabi Alonso's men will be without influential attacker Moussa Diaby, who picked up an injury in the previous encounter, making a comeback all the more difficult. Additionally, Die Werkself lost over the weekend, going 3-2 down at home to Mainz to further dampen their confidence.
Monaco, on the other hand, are on an amazing five-game winning streak, which includes that victory at the BayArena. The French heavyweights were 2-1 down by the hour mark during the 1st leg but goals from Diatta in the 74th minute and Disasi in the 92nd minute helped them seal a vital win. Additionally, Philippe Clement's side recently beat PSG 3-1 as well, with Ben Yedder grabbing a brace, thus showing that Les Rouge et Blanc are a team to be feared.
Nantes vs Juventus
If crashing out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage wasn't embarrassing enough for Juventus, the Italian giants could bow out of the Europa League at the first hurdle as well. The Italian giants were drawn against Nantes for this round and were tipped to make it to the last 16 but failed to win the first leg, which took place in Turin. Dusan Vlahovic gave the Old Lady an early lead but Allegri's men conceded the equalizer at the hour mark and were thus forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. The Bianconeri have since beaten Spezia 2-0 in Serie A but a lot is riding on their trip to the Stade de la Beaujoire.
The hosts, meanwhile, are 13th in Ligue 1 this season, which means this could be their last run in Europe for a few seasons. Additionally, Nantes lost over the weekend in the French top flight, going 3-1 down away to Lens. However, at home, Antoine Kombouaré's side have lost only three times all season — against PSG, Marseille, and Freiburg in the Europa League group stage. Several of their home games this campaign have ended in draws and a stalemate will not suffice in the 2nd leg due to the abolishment of the away-goal rule, which means the hosts will have to give it their all for a victory.
Who's out for the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs?
Ajax: Youri Baas and Ahmetcan Kaplan (injured); Jorge Sanchez (doubtful)
Sevilla: Papu Gomez, Marcao, Karim Rekik, and Loic Bade (injured)
Manchester United: Donny Van de Beek and Christian Eriksen (injured); Anthony Martial (unavailable)
Barcelona: Ousmane Dembele and Pedri (injured); Gavi (suspended)
Roma: Ebrima Darboe, Paulo Dybala, and Tammy Abraham (injured)
Monaco: Vanderson and Ruben Aguilar (injured)
Leverkusen: Andrey Lunev, Charles Aranguiz, and Moussa Diaby (injured)
Juventus: Arkadiusz Milik, Paul Pogba, Kalo Jorge, and Fabio Miretti (injured)
Sporting CP: Daniel Braganca and Dario Essugo (injured)
Where can I watch the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs live on TV or on-demand?
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