Can the first legs be turned into a last-16 place?
Four second legs begin with three ties level and one advantage to protect, as Europe’s route to the last 16 comes into focus.
0-0 is the clean slate Ponferrada and Manchester United bring to tonight’s decisive leg, and the tie with the least to hide behind. Their first meeting, on 20 February, ended goalless; now one result will settle who reaches the last 16. Ponferrada are ninth in the Spanish First Division with 36 points; Manchester United are fifth in the English Premier Division with 45. Manchester United’s WDDWW run there sits alongside five unbeaten league games; Ponferrada’s league form is WDWLW. Both have two absentees: Federico Rocchi and Fran Belmonte for Ponferrada; Renzo López and Myles Broe for Manchester United. Tonight, those domestic standings will not decide the European tie; the score will.
Liverpool v Galatasaray A.Ş.
The other tie tonight is level at 1-1 after the first leg in Turkey on 20 February, leaving Liverpool and Galatasaray A.Ş. one match to settle their passage. Liverpool are third in the English Premier Division with 51 points; Galatasaray A.Ş. are fourth in the Turkish Super League with 45. Liverpool’s recent domestic form is WWLLW, while Galatasaray A.Ş. have DWWWW; the first meeting offered no separation. Uebert is absent for Liverpool, while Cüneyt Ayhan is missing for the visitors. Tonight, the tie starts again from equality.
Oviedo v AC Milan
Tomorrow, Oviedo and AC Milan meet with the same 1-1 scoreline between them, after the first leg in Italy on 19 February. In their domestic leagues, Oviedo are 19th in the Spanish First Division with 23 points, while AC Milan are fifth in Serie A with 43. The clubs also met on 30 January, when AC Milan won 3-0 at Oviedo; that result gives the home side a clear reference point, but not a shortcut through the tie. Massimo Sanna and Leonel Álvarez are unavailable for Milan. Oviedo are four points from safety in the Spanish First Division. The European tie remains level, and it is the only table that matters tomorrow.
Hertha Berlin v FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
The other tie tomorrow begins with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard holding a 2-1 lead, earned at home on 19 February. Hertha Berlin must overturn that deficit to reach the last 16; the visitors need only preserve their advantage. Hertha are sixth in the Bundesliga with 39 points, while Sochaux are fifth in Ligue 1 Uber Eats with 38. Hertha’s domestic form, DDWLW, contrasts with Sochaux’s DWWWW, but the first leg puts the French club in front where it counts. Hertha have three absentees—Robson, Kyle McAuley and Fernando Reyes—while Jesús Fuentes is unavailable for Sochaux. The domestic standings offer little separation; Sochaux have already won the first meeting, and the score gives Hertha no room to mistake a stronger recent run for progress secured.
Across these four ties, three begin level and one carries a single-goal margin. The prize is the same in each case, but the route to it is not: for some, a second leg is a fresh beginning; for Hertha, it is a test of how much can still be recovered. The last 16 is close enough to see, and still belongs to nobody.