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UEFA Europa League quarterfinals predictions.
AZ - "Benfica"
Portugal should easily win. All the cards are in their hands. In Portugal, they managed to distance themselves from "Sporting" and "Porto", although their form is not dazzling, points are collected quite easily. The match against "Porto" was specifically postponed due to the Europa League, which was supposed to take place over the weekend. And they also have the home advantage. AZ has already come a long way. Almost in every stage, successful spells have fallen on them. Now they face opponents who are theoretically stronger, and AZ is not showing good form at the moment. In the Netherlands, they have not even made it to the top five so far, so the main focus should be on the fight there. Therefore, "Benfica" should win quite easily.
"Lyon" - "Juventus"
The situation is similar - "Lyon" doesn't really stand a chance. This season's "Juventus" is one of the best versions of Conte's club. The only thing missing for complete success was that it did not snow in Istanbul and they had even greater stability in the Champions League start. Finally, stronger personalities have emerged in the attack. Before these matches, "Napoli" defeated "Juventus", but "Lyon" should face a tougher emotional state - a lost derby against ASSE, which means that their mortal enemies almost took away the chance to fight for bronze. "Juventus" has a better situation - the distance to Rome remains respectful. Despite the loss, this season "Juventus" shows iron defense and cold-bloodedness in decisive moments of the matches. "Lyon" has not been this weak since the beginning of this century. Injuries haunt the club. Only after New Year did greater stability emerge. However, opponents feel more threatened by "Lyon" when playing at their home stadium. In the last 5 matches, "Lyon" suffered 3 defeats. Maybe "Juventus" is not a fierce force at this stage of the season, but they should definitely achieve the desired result.
"Basel - "Valencia"
Despite the fact that "Basel" talents are in high demand, Yakinas is stepping very far in Europe for the second season in a row. In my opinion, he is on a path that will inevitably lead to the helm of a super club. Pizzi in Valencia has executed a revolution that has given the team a new face. However, the results are unstable, but the team often looks interesting, and one would like him to stay in his job after the season ends because there is a feeling that this guy must bring "Valencia" back among the top 4 in Spain. Both teams are facing different problems - "Basel" is chasing "Zurich" for gold, while "Valencia" is trying to secure a place that would allow them to play in Europe. The main problem for "Valencia" is instability; at the moment, they are wastefully dropping points. "Basel" is in better form at this stage of the season. However, "Valencia" is more experienced in such battles, has a more solid squad, and should go further.
"Porto" - "Sevilla"
There is no favorite, and this is the fight that should be the most intriguing of all. "Porto" this season undoubtedly has a good squad of players, and some of them will probably be sold lucratively in the summer. However, "Porto" is not a good team. This season, they did not really compete for the title at home, falling behind not only "Benfica" but also "Sporting" after a long hiatus. On the other hand, their position is stable - there is not much chance of rising to the second place, and falling to fourth is also not a real threat at the moment. They can focus on Europe. "Sevilla" is in a different situation. They are actually fighting to return to the Champions League after a long break. Emery currently looks like the best coach of the club since the days of Juande Ramos. The team once again has a clear identity and competes for points with everyone. "Sevilla" is currently in excellent form and if not for a shocking loss to "Celta" over the weekend, they would only be three points behind "Athletic". They will also have the home field advantage. "Porto" looks weaker at this stage of the season, but they have more experience in European battles and will surely rest before the first leg of the match. It will be interesting.
