With plenty of interesting match ups in the round of 32 the Europa League should prove to have some excitement along with some upsets. Here are some of Seam the Dream's predictions for the most intriguing fixtures this Thursday.
Ajax will face off against a very disappointing Juve (currently in 7th in Serie A). The bianconeri have struggled in all aspects of their campaign this year and hopefully their new coach Alberto Zaccheroni will push for some away goals in Amsterdam. Having said that, Ajax will use their European experience against the Turin side hold them to a 1-1 draw. More.
Villareal vs. Wolfsburg
The defending Bundesliga champions will visit the yellow submarine Thursday night looking for an away goal. Both teams have disappointed in their leagues so far this season and since both teams have problems conceding goals, look for the team with the better attack to take this first leg. In my opinion that will be Wolfsburg and their Bosnian attack of Misimovic and Dzeko to contribute to a 2-1 victory. (Sorry Giuseppe)
Panathinaikos vs. Roma
Roma has been in great form of late and currently stand in 2nd place in Serie A. I expect their current form to carry them into Athens and get a strong result. 2-0 Roma with solid performances from the "Beast" and Jeremy Menez. More.
Atletico vs. Galatasaray
Expect a confident Atletico side after ending Barcelona's undefeated league run this weekend. Look for Kun Aguero and Diego Forlan to get on the scoresheet and give Atletico a solid result, but an away goal from Frank Rijkaard's side will keep the next leg interesting. 2-1 Atletico Madrid. More.
Hamburg vs. PSV
The first place Dutch side from Eindhoven will face some tough opposition against Hamburger SV. Hamburg are coming off a 3-1 victory against Stuttgart over the weekend and if healthy Dutch winger Eljero Elia can play a major role in this first leg. Also look for Hamburg's two strikers with Eredivisie experience, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Marcus Berg, to get some goals. Hamburg wins 3-1.
Hertha vs. SL Benfica (Seam's Dream Matchup)
Here's my personal favorite from all of Thursday night's fixtures. Look for a focused Benfica squad with no league match this weekend to get the win in Berlin (yes it rhymes). Hertha are bound for relegation in the Bundesliga with only 2 wins all season. With really nothing else to play for expect Hertha to put forth a strong effort against the much more talented Lisbon side. Goals from Cardozo and/or Saviola will give the Eagles a big advantage heading back home for the return leg. A sometimes shaky defense will most likely give up a goal to the home side so a 2-1 win will be enough for the Encarnados to be satisfied with the result.
Here are my predictions for the other Europa League matches Thursday night.
Rubin Kazan 2-0 H. Tel-Aviv
Clubb Brugge 0-3 Valencia
Standard Liege 1-1 Red Bull Salzburg
FC Twente 0-0 Werder Bremen
Lille 1-0 Fenerbache
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Anderlecht
Kobenhavn 0-2 Olympique Marseille
Fulham 1-1 Shaktar Donetsk
Liverpool 2-1 Unirea Urziceni
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