By Barry Whelan, dpa

Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund seek to build on first-leg wins to book places in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Holders Sevilla meanwhile need a win at home to Basel in the last-16 second-leg matches.

Berlin (dpa) – Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool and his former team Borussia Dortmund are well placed to advance to the quarter-final of the Europa League on Thursday.

Liverpool hold a 2-0 lead over Manchester United going to Old Trafford for their second-leg match, while Dortmund travel to White Hart Hart with a 3-0 cushion over Tottenham.

Spurs have a fine home record in Europe – unbeaten in nine consecutive European home games and with only one goal conceded in the previous seven home games against German teams – but Dortmund are on top form and have not lost any of their 13 matches this year.

Coach Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for his side’s performance in defeating Mainz 2-0 on Sunday.

«We have been producing outstanding performances for weeks now. To dominate and defeat Mainz in the manner we did and in their current form was more than I could have asked for,» he said.

 

Manchester United’s European survival hinges on overturning a 2-0 deficit against bitter rivals Liverpool – a task which has not proved beyond them in the past. Four times previously in Europe they lost away by two goal only to win the tie at Old Trafford.

 

It’s the third game in a stretch of four for United that included the first leg, an FA Cup quarter-final draw with West Ham and Sunday’s Manchester derby in the Premier League.

 

«It was very doom and gloom but we didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on our mistakes at Anfield,» defender Chris Smalling said.

 

«It was about getting our heads right very quickly and now we turn out attention back to Liverpool.

 

«We’ve got two massive games now and, more often than not we turn up in those big games.

 

Liverpool know that a goal will force United to score four and midfielder Emre Can urged his team-mates to repeat their effort of a week ago.

 

«We have to keep going like in the first game,» he said on the club’s website. «We have to press and we have to play to win the game.»

 

Holders Sevilla come up against Basel without injury victims Steven N’Zonzi and Yevhen Konoplyanka, needing a win after a 0-0 first leg draw in Switzerland.

 

Grzegorz Krychowiak is ready to return after three weeks out. «I am in perfect condition for Thursday, but this is obviously a decision for the coach to make,» the Polish midfielder said.

 

«This is a really important game for us and I am very keen to help out, in whatever way I can.»

 

In the all-Spanish clash, Athletic Bilbao take a slender 1-0 lead to troubled Valencia.

 

The two teams are in contrasting form, as evidenced by Bilbao’s emphatic 3-0 league win in Mestalla two weeks ago. However, Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose is trying to avoid over-confidence.

 

«Valencia are not having a good time of it at the moment and many people are saying they are finished. But they are a very good team and I am sure they are going to make things very difficult for us,»

he said.

 

Villarreal travel to Germany in good heart after beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the first leg – despite Sunday’s 4-2 meltdown at Sevilla.

 

Leading the search for an away goal will be the in-form Cedric Bakambu, who scored both goals against Leverkusen and also two against Sevilla.

 

Lazio and Sparta Prague are both unbeaten in the tournament when they meet at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

 

«The Europa League is very important. We want to keep on dreaming,»

Lazio’s Brazil forward Felipe Anderson said. «We have a small advantage (after drawing 1-1 in Prague), considering that we only need a 0-0 to qualify.»

 

Anderlecht need to reverse a 3-1 defeat at Shaktar Donetsk, while Sporting Braga take on Fenerbahce after a 1-0 defeat in Turkey.