What do Europa League teams need to do to upset the odds?

The Europa League quarterfinals are coming to a close with the second legs all set to be played on Thursday, and every tie is dancing on a knife’s edge. Of the four ties in action, three have an aggregate scoreline of 2-1 and the fourth is even at 1-1 -- while some of those scores favor one team or the other because of the away goals rule, there’s no denying that all four of these ties are very much up for grabs.

With that in mind, what do the various underdogs have to do to turn things around and take the win? In the three ties with a clear favorite, that favorite took the aggregate lead coming out of the first leg, but none of them will be feeling particularly comfortable as they prepare to finish things off. Every underdog has an opportunity here -- it’s just a matter of identifying what their opportunity is and how to exploit it.

The score: 2-1 Sevilla

The situation: The defending Europa League champions have an advantage in the home leg of their tie against Athletic Bilbao, but Sevilla can’t rest easy just yet. Bilbao have long made a habit of being a difficult team to beat, and even in the first leg there were times that it seemed as though they were outplaying Sevilla despite the final result of the match. The tie is heading back to Seville and the defending champs have a big away goals tiebreaker thanks to the two they scored in Bilbao, but Athletic are far from out of this tie yet.

Athletic will be be expecting a big performance from Aritz Aduriz, the leading scorer in the Europa League so far this season, but they need more than just their big striker to get the win and the upset. Iker Muniain will need to have a strong performance from attacking midfield areas behind him, and he’ll be facing a brick wall in the form of Gregorz Krychowiak as he tries to help out Aduriz. Most important, though -- Bilbao’s defense can’t afford to give up even a single goal. They’re going to have a hard enough time getting the win without having to chase an even wider deficit in the aggregate scoreline.

The score: 1-1

The situation: Would any result in this match really be an upset, one way or the other? Even aside from the “Klopp Derby” aspect of the teams being joined by Jurgen Klopp and the long-standing mutual respect of their two fanbases, these two teams are very evenly matched for one another and no result would really be a surprise. This one will probably go down to the wire, no matter the outcome.

Regardless, there are opportunities for the taking for both teams. Liverpool’s midfield is thin thanks to injury, and of late Dortmund’s defense has not been as stout as it once was. Players like Philippe Coutinho and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be at the core of any successes in this match, and no matter who advances this match should be a ton of fun.

The score: 2-1 Shakhtar

The situation: It’s a tough road for Braga, having lost at home and given up two away goals before heading to a tough environment in Ukraine. They’re not completely hopeless, though -- Braga still have the talent and means to mount a comeback as we’ve seen at times from them this season. Still, it’s going to be a tough battle -- they face probably the longest odds to find a successful comeback in the round.

The absences of Pedro Santos and Rui Fonte especially hurts Braga, leaving them chasing a result on foreign soil without arguably their two best attackers. They’ll need Ahmed Hassan and Nikola Stojiljkovic to step up in a big way in their absence -- while Hassan and Stojiljkovic are Braga’s leading scorers, Santos and Fonte did a lot of the work that let them find their successes. They’ll be on their own in this match, and Braga needs them to shine.

The score: 2-1 Villarreal

The situation: Sparta have made a habit of defying the odds during the Europa League this season, and despite losing 2-1 in the first leg, they’ve left themselves in an excellent position to do so again. They played a very close game with Villarreal, not just on the scoreboard but in the run of play as well. The away goal they earned was crucial, and if they can score an early goal or two on home soil with the crowd behind them, they can blow the tie wide open.

With Villarreal’s midfield in shambles, Bořek Dočkal and Ladislav Krejčí could have a field day for Sparta. That midfield pair will have to be at their best in this match, though, because a lot of their first-choice teammates are out hurt or suspended -- it’s not going to be easy for Sparta to get the win with their side so decimated, but it’s not like Villarreal are in full health themselves. We could be in for a real slugfest in this match, and that will suit Sparta’s goals perfectly.