The second-leg ties of the first knock-out round of the UEFA Cup take place tomorrow night, with former winners Ajax Amsterdam facing a huge battle to advance to the next round.
The Dutch side lost 3-0 to Werder Bremen in the first leg, and the daunting task they face has not been helped by a combination of injuries, suspension and availability.
Midfielders Gabri and Olaf Lindenbergh are banned, Edgar Davids is cup-tied while Urby Emanuelson, Zdenek Grygera and Thomas Vermaelen are injured.
Italian side Parma go into their home game with Portugal’s Braga with a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Parma, twice winners of the competition, are currently languishing second from bottom in Serie A and boss Claudio Ranieri looks set to rotate his squad.
Israel’s Maccabi Haifa are scoreless with 2005 winners CSKA Moscow going into the second leg in Tel Aviv. ‘We are not the favourites in this tie but we hope we can create a sensation, although let's not forget that CSKA are the Russian champions, they won the UEFA Cup a year and a half ago and they played in the Champions League this season,’ Haifa coach Roni Levy said.
Holders Sevilla beat Steaua Bucharest 2-0 in Romania last week and will be confident of advancing to the last 16.
Blackburn Rovers host Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen at Ewood Park, trailing 3-2 from the first leg. Boss Mark Hughes is hopeful of the European journey continuing: ‘We've had a real go in this competition and we are enjoying the European experience and we want that to continue,’ Hughes told the club's website.
Paris St Germain are well-placed to go through as they host AEK Athens protecting a 2-0 lead from the first-leg in Greece. ‘It's been a very good week for us and the following one will be very important for the future of the club,’ PSG manager Paul Le Guen told reporters after an impressive 3-0 win away at AS Nancy on Saturday.
