Five-time European champion Liverpool is facing elimination from the Europa League unless it can overturn a 1-0 deficit against Lille at Anfield on Thursday.
Being in Europe's second-tier competition is unfamiliar territory for Liverpool, but it's suddenly become very important to Rafa Benitez's future at Liverpool.
The Europa League is the Spaniard's only chance of lifting a trophy at the end of a miserable season in which his team was eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage and is struggling to qualify for Europe's elite competition next season due to its poor Premier League form.
Confidence, though, has been lifted by Monday's 4-1 rout of bottom-place Portsmouth that moved Liverpool up to fifth.
"The three points were very important but now that passion and the way we played in defense and attack is the basis of how we have to play in the remaining games," Liverpool winger Ryan Babel said. "We had a point to prove in terms of getting a result. I don't think the performance at Lille was as bad as some people thought, but we definitely showed character against Portsmouth and hopefully we can now look forward."
Former European Cup winners Juventus and Hamburg are in stronger positions to reach the quarterfinals with both holding 3-1 advantages going away for their last-16 second leg matches.
But Juventus will be without goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon and Alex Manninger for its trip to Premier League club Fulham, and third-choice Antonio Chimenti is set to start at Craven Cottage.
"It'll be very hard over there because it's a small ground," Juventus midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic said. "They play with a great tempo at home and we'll have to be very careful. But if we put them under pressure, the sort of pressure we did in the first leg, it will be really hard for them to play well."
Hamburg's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season look all but gone after they were beaten by Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Reaching the Europa League final _ in its own stadium _ is now the target as the German club looks to protect its lead over Anderlecht.
"It's the only goal left for us this season," Hamburg striker Mladen Petric said.
Standard Liege also holds a 3-1 advantage over Panathinaikos thanks to its strong performance in Greece last week, but the remaining four fixtures are all level.
Wolfsburg plays Rubin Kazan having scored a crucial away goal in a 1-1 draw, while Marseille hosts Benfica and Werder Bremen entertains Valencia with the same advantage. Sporting's match with Atletico Madrid is level at 0-0.
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