UEFA Conference League quarter-finals: What to look out for in the second legs

The first legs of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals brought four home wins with no away goals scored, but victors Crystal Palace, Mainz, Rayo Vallecano and Shakhtar Donetsk are not out of any woods just yet.

See how AEK Athens, AZ Alkmaar, Fiorentina and Strasbourg, will be looking to work Thursday-night magic in the second legs.

Second leg fixtures

Early game (18:45 CET)
AZ Alkmaar vs Shakhtar (first leg: 0-3) 

Late games (21:00 CET)
Fiorentina vs Crystal Palace (first leg: 0-3)
AEK Athens vs Rayo Vallecano (first leg: 0-3)
Strasbourg vs Mainz (first leg: 0-2)

AZ Alkmaar vs Shakhtar (first leg: 0-3)

Shakhtar lost their three previous two-legged ties against Dutch sides, but their prospects look good ahead of this decider. Three goals in 12 second-half minutes decided the first leg, but the Ukrainian outfit are not getting ahead of themselves. "We won but we haven't finished the job yet," said Shakhtar defender Valeriy Bondar. "We all know this is European competition and anything can happen."

AZ Alkmaar coach Leeroy Echteld is well aware of the task facing his side on April 16 but is adamant that his players will put everything into overturning the first-leg result. "It's true that a few days after the decider we will be playing in the final of the Dutch Cup, but it does not mean we will not be focused on the game against Shakhtar," he said. "The opposite: we will!"

Fiorentina vs Crystal Palace (first leg: 0-3)

The Viola's six-game unbeaten run came to a crunching end at Selhurst Park, but if Paolo Vanoli's side were unlucky not to have scored at least once, they are not despairing. "We have to stay positive," said their English winger Jack Harrison. "There's another leg back at home, and we've seen crazy things happen in these types of competitions."

As for Palace, their first-half performance, in particular, will give them belief that a first-ever major European semi-final is in their grasp, though coach Oliver Glasner will be eager to keep heads cool as his side travel to Italy. "This was the first step," he said after the first leg. "We always stay humble, even though it was a good performance and a good result."

AEK Athens vs Rayo Vallecano (first leg: 0-3)

A 3-0 scoreline seemed brutally hard for AEK coach Marko Nikolić after the first leg, but the Greek league leaders are hoping that their luck will balance out as the tie concludes in Athens. "The result doesn't reflect what happened on the pitch," insisted the Serbian tactician. "We have the rematch in front of our fans. We have absolute faith that we can turn it around."

A lively crowd in the Greek capital will be a new experience for Rayo, who are on target to reach a first-ever European semi-final, but defender Florian Lejeune insists that his team are ready the challenge. "We know how difficult it is going to be in Athens, but I think we are up for that sort of match," he said. "We have to go there to win. We have to enjoy it. We know what we have to do if we want to make history."

Strasbourg vs Mainz (first leg: 0-2)

"I saw enough in the [first leg] to know we can win the next game at home," insisted Strasbourg boss Gary O'Neil. "For me, we still have a big opportunity to qualify." The French side will welcome their near-neighbours from over the German border having not lost a European home game since the turn of the millennium, and having never conceded at home to Bundesliga opponents (W1 D1). Reason to believe.

Mainz coach Urs Fischer, meanwhile, had regrets that his team did not score more in the first leg, and he knows that seemingly comfortable leads can be overturned in a trice. "Look at what happened to Bodø/Glimt against Sporting [in this season's Champions League, when the Norwegian side lost out despite winning 3-0 in the home leg]," he said. "There are no guarantees in football."