Eldor Shomurodov scored against Bilbao. © APA/afp / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

Lazio and Roma fight for the quarter-finals

Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio Rome and AS Roma face crucial second legs in the round of 16 of the Europa League.

March 13, 2025

From: tu/apa/dpa

Will the dream of another triumph continue? Or will there be a rude awakening in Europe? For Eintracht Frankfurt, more is at stake in the second match against Ajax Amsterdam than just reaching the quarterfinals of the Europa League. "We can spark euphoria again and set a precedent for the coming weeks," said coach Dino Toppmöller.

Although the team "only has Ajax on their minds," Toppmöller said, the triumphant European tour in 2022 has aroused his players' desires. "The desire is there to reach the final. And we have to work for it, fight. Then something is definitely possible," said veteran Mario Götze ahead of the round of 18.45 second leg on Thursday (XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.) in front of a home crowd against the Dutch record champions and league leaders.

Mario Götze wants to advance to the next round. © ANSA / OLAF KRAAK

But the 2014 World Cup champions aren't the only ones who know: Should the Hessians squander their 2-1 lead from the first leg, it would plunge them into a sporting crisis after three consecutive defeats in the Bundesliga. "The trend isn't so positive at the moment. In the end, it's all about winning. And we didn't do that, and we have to change that quickly," Götze told TV channel RTL.

Italy's capital clubs are ready

The same applies to the clubs from the Italian capital. AS Roma impressively won their first leg against the strong Athletic Club 2-1 and is aiming to advance to the quarterfinals again. Claudio Ranieri's team only secured the goal advantage in stoppage time, when Shomurodov scored the winner.

The match in Bilbao should not be underestimated. The Giallorossi are expecting a real battle, as Athletic Club boasts a very talented team and, in European champion Nico Williams, a true superstar who regularly causes a stir on the flanks.

Lazio goes into the second leg with an advantage. © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI

Lazio enters the second leg against Viktoria Plzen with the same 2-1 lead. This encounter, too, bore parallels to their city rivals, as the Biancocelesti also celebrated their first-leg victory late. Marco Baroni's team didn't even score until the 2th minute to make it 1-98 in Plzen.

Fiorentina will need to put in a much better performance in the return leg against Panathinaikos. The Viola lost the first leg 2-3 to the Athens club and need to score at least one more goal than the Greeks to force a penalty shootout—two to advance directly to the next round.

Rapid sees its chance

Rapid Vienna's match against FK Borac is about reaching the last eight, and after last week's 1-1 draw in Banja Luka, their starting position is quite promising. "We have the historic opportunity to advance to a European Cup quarterfinal. That's a fantastic goal that we absolutely want to achieve," said striker Robert Klauß.

Rapid Vienna dreams of the quarterfinals. © APA / ERWIN SCHERIAU

For Rapid, this is their first European Cup quarter-final since the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals and an additional €1,3 million in UEFA bonuses. Their opponents are a team that, like in the first match, will likely sit deep and wait for mistakes. "We already saw in the first leg that Borac needs few chances to score. That's a warning signal to concede even fewer and develop more power going forward," explained Klauß.

Europa League, Thursday

Athletic Club – AS Roma (18.45)
First leg: 1:2

Eintracht Frankfurt – Ajax Amsterdam (18.45 p.m.)
First leg: 2:1

Lazio – Viktoria Plzen (18.45)
First leg: 2:1

Olympiacos Piraeus – FK Bodø/Glimt (18.45)
First leg: 0:3

Rangers – Fenerbahçe (21.00 p.m.)
First leg: 3:1

Manchester United – Real Sociedad (21.00 p.m.)
First leg: 1:1

Olympique Lyon – FCSB (21.00 p.m.)
3:1

Tottenham Hotspur – AZ Alkmaar (21.00 p.m.)
0:1

Conference League, Thursday

Cercle Bruges – Jagiellonia (18.45)
First leg: 0:3

Djurgårdens IF – Pafos (18.45)
First leg: 0:1

FC Lugano – NK Celje (18.45)
First leg: 0:1

SK Rapid – Borac Banja Luka (18.45)
First leg: 1:1

AC Fiorentina – Panathinaikos (21.00 p.m.)
First leg: 2:3

FC Chelsea – FC Copenhagen (21.00 p.m.)
First leg: 2:1

Legia – Molde FK (21.00)
First leg: 2:3

Vitória Guimarães – Betis Sevilla (21.00 p.m.)
First leg: 2:2