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

Four teams will take a step closer to May's UEFA Europa League showpiece in Istanbul following the quarter-final deciders on Thursday 16 April.

We preview the action.

Celta vs Freiburg (first leg: 0-3)

The story: Despite pre-match expectations of a close, tight contest in the first leg, a brilliant Freiburg display instead enabled Julian Schuster's side to blow Celta away in a dominant 3-0 victory, Vincenzo Grifo scoring the pick of the goals with a beautiful curling effort to get the ball rolling after just ten minutes.

That has left Freiburg dreaming of progress to a first-ever major European semi-final, but Celta coach Claudio Giráldez is still looking on the positive side ahead of the return, insisting his team will be "more dangerous, because we have nothing to lose". The Sky Blues have won four of the six games they have played at home in this competition so far this season but will need their best performance yet to salvage this tie.

The stat: Freiburg have scored eight goals in their last two Europa League games after managing only two in their previous five.

Aston Villa vs Bologna (first leg: 3-1)

The story: Villa defeated Bologna for the third time in the last two seasons in the first leg, an Ollie Watkins double inspiring a convincing 3-1 victory. Jonathan Rowe's late strike looked as if it had got the Italian side right back into the tie, but Watkins' second goal with practically the last kick of the game will give Unai Emery's men a huge psychological boost ahead of the return.

Emery was delighted with the "fantastic" reaction to that Bologna goal, but warned: "My message inside the dressing room is to keep respecting what Bologna can do in the second leg." The Rossoblù were left to rue missing a number of chances in the first half, though attacking midfielder Lewis Ferguson told UEFA: "We know it will be very difficult but we will have nothing to lose in Birmingham and we will give it a try."

The stat: Villa are appearing in their third European quarter-final in as many seasons.

Nottingham Forest vs Porto (first leg: 1-1)

The story: It had looked as though this match-up was only going one way after William Gomes put a dominant Porto 1-0 up early on following a flowing team move. However, an unfortunate own goal from Martim Fernandes just two minutes later was the lucky break Forest needed, and there was little between the two teams from that moment onwards, leaving everything to play for at the City Ground.

Porto coach Francesco Farioli was satisfied with his side's display, saying: "We need to repeat the same performance with a better level of finishing." Forest captain Ryan Yates, meanwhile, added: "It's completely different playing at our stadium. We can play with a bit more intensity. We'll learn things from tonight and look forward to the game."

The stat: Forest became the first team in this season's competition to deny Porto a home win in their sixth fixture at the Estádio do Dragão.

Real Betis vs Braga (first leg: 1-1)

The story: Speaking of close encounters, there was also nothing to separate Braga and Betis in their first leg in Portugal, the hosts taking an early lead through Florian Grillitsch's sublime flick before Cucho Hernández's emphatic second-half penalty earned Los Verdiblancos a draw.

Both coaches underlined their belief that small details will decide the return encounter. "We need to be clinical in both boxes, attacking and defending," said Braga's Carlos Vicens, while Betis' Manuel Pellegrini added: "For me, the most important thing is to use the ball well and win it back quickly when we lose it." It's all set up for a fascinating finale.

The stat: Betis are yet to lose at home in this season's competition (W4 D1), but Braga have lost just one of their away games (W2 D2).