The Round of 16 second-leg fixtures are taking place for both the Europa League and Conference League. Ahead of these crucial matches, let's take a look at the five most important things happening in the game week.
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Alonso's Leverkusen can continue creating history if scare against Qarabag is avoided
Xabi Alonso has been a revelation at Bayer Leverkusen this season, as the German side sit 1st in the Bundesliga. This feat, already seen as impressive considering the previous domination by Bayern Munich, is underlined by the fact 'Die Werkself' remain unbeaten in the league, and they remain in the hunt for their second Europa League trophy.
Yet their passage into the next round will not come easy. Azerbaijani opponent Qarabag shocked Leverkusen last week, drawing 2-2 with their German opponents thanks to goals from Yassine Benzia and Juninho. It took a last minute header from Patrick Schick to avoid defeat in the first leg, taking a draw back to Leverkusen.
With Leverkusen's first European Trophy coming in 1988, victory would mean Alonso and his side would be two rounds away from the final, but another slip up like last week would put the chance of a potential treble to bed, as Leverkusen also find themselves being the only Bundesliga side in the DFB Pokal semi-finals.
Qarabag, managed by Gurban Gurbanov, may not have the home crowd behind them in this leg, but the encouraging home result will give his side the encouragement they need to pull of a remarkable shock, and send them to the quarter finals of a European competition for the first time in their history.
Whatever the result, this match promises to be a thriller, with two sides looking to create history this season.
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Three draws in three matches over three years: Somebody will finally win this game
Benfica and Rangers will finally escape their deja-vu on Thursday night. If either of these sides want to make the Europa League quarter-finals, one will have to break the deadlock, as the first leg ended 2-2 in Portugal, as Benfica were left to rue their chances after dominating the majority of the game.
Now travelling to one of the most reowned stadiums in British football, Ibrox, Roger Schmidt's side will face a tough test against the side that sit first in the Scottish Premiership. However, with only Juan Bernat missing from the squad, 'As Aguias' will be feeling confident that they can make the final eight of the competition.
Yet the 2021-22 Europa League finalists may have something to say about that. Managed by Philippe Clement, the Scottish side are aiming for their second European trophy, and third appearance in an Europa League final. With a young, hungry side of players, Rangers will be hoping they can avoid any mishaps, considering centre-back Conor Goldson scored an own-goal in the reverse leg.
With 'wonderkids' such as Fabio Silva, Ridvan Yilmaz and Rabbi Matondo, as well as experience names like Kemar Roofe and Jack Butland, Rangers will have a 50,000 strong crowd to back them up to pull a potential shock off against one of Portugal's most prestigious sides, and to finally win a game against Benfica.
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Two former European heavyweights clash in the conference league
The introduction of the Conference League has encouraged smaller teams to have their chance on the big stage, but has also set up some huge, tasty fixtures involving elite clubs that attracts a lot of attention. Aston Villa and Ajax will certainly catch the eyes of many, as they dispute a 0-0 score at Villa Park.
With five European cups between the pair, these two teams would've been considered favourites for the trophy, had they not come up against each other in the round of 16. The victor of this tie will have a huge advantage going through the rest of the competition, as they will have removed one of the strongest opponents from the tournament.
In the previous fixture, both Ajax and Aston Villa had a man sent off in a dull encounter, in which both teams only had four shots. Ajax boss John v'ant Schip had his head in his hands when Brian Brobbey fired wide from close range, and then lost Tristan Gooijer to two yellow cards, whilst elite coach Unai Emery was relieved not to have conceded after Ezri Konsa was sent off himself.
With the reverse leg coming to England, both sides will be looking to restore their former European heritage this season, meaning a win in this leg becomes crucial for both sides. With key men injured for the teams, Thursday's fixture becomes a mouthwatering clash of wills and strength, that is sure to produce an entertaining game.
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Breakout star has chance to impress in away tie at Atalanta
When he moved from Coventry City last summer, very few would have expected Swedish striker Victor Gyokeres to have 33 goals in 37 games for Sporting Lisbon this season. With five goals in six matches, Europa League opponents Atalanta will be worried about the threat that could face them in Bergamo on Thursday.
Gyokeres was not chosen to start by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim in the reverse leg, as Paulinho instead got the goal, which was cancelled out by Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca to make the aggregate score 1-1. With just five shots for the Portuguese side in the home tie, Amorim may turn to the Swede to provide danger to the opposition, and get Sporting Lisbon into the quarter finals.
However, the Gian Piero Gasparini-led Atalanta put in a stellar away performance in Portugal, and will be feeling optimistic of putting in a similar performance to seal their place in the final eight. With threats such as Scamacca, Ademola Lookman and Charles de Ketelaere, Sporting's defence will have to hold firm if they are to advance in this years tournament.
Whether or not Gyokeres starts for the Portuguese club, Marcus Edwards and Francisco Trincao will still look to cause chaos in Italy on Thursday, promising a game full of attacking football as both teams still have a chance of progressing in the Europa League.
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Seven goals in one leg: Fiorentina and Maccabi Haifa battle set to continue
Remaining in Italy, and the highest scoring first leg came between Fiorentina and Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, where it ended up being a thrilling 4-3 encounter, with the lead being taken by the Italian side in the 95th minute of the game.
Vincenzo Italiano's side were considered favourites by many, but were shocked when Maccabi Haifa took a 3-2 lead with 75 minutes on the clock. It tooks goals from Rolando Mandragora and Antonin Barak for Fiorentina to overturn the defecit, and take a one-goal cushion on their return to Italy.
Despite the late defeat, Haifa manager Messey Dego will be feeling optimistic that the Israeli side could still secure a quarter-final spot if his side were to replicate their strong performance from last week, as clinical finishes from Anan Khalaili, Abdoulaye Seck and Gadi Kinda were not enough to go to Italy with an aggregate lead.
However, with 43,000 fans supporting Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, 'Viola' will hope to avoid another scare, and be able to overpower Maccabi Haifa with their Serie A standard of football. Yet we can never rule anything out in European football, and considering their performance last week, Maccabi Haifa are still firmly in this tie.
All Europa League and Conference League round of 16 games take place at either 5:45pm GMT or 8pm GMT, on Thursday 14th March.