Soccer: Miller makes his picks from the UEFA Europa League

After the dominance of the Premier League sides in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, which saw all four teams advance into Friday’s quarterfinal draw, the two English sides in the UEFA Europa League will look to follow suit.

Chelsea is all but through, after the Blues beat Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 last Thursday at Stamford Bridge. Only a monumental collapse of the PSG kind would see Chelsea exoticism’s the competition, but Kyiv is not Manchester United. But with the possibility that Maurizio Sarri rests some players for Sunday’s huge Premier League clash at Everton, this is probably a match to back away from and find teams that need to post a result Thursday to stay alive.

Six of the eight matches look to be like that, with everything to play for in the second leg. Arsenal was embarrassed last week in France, losing 3-1 to Rennes. But the Gunners then went out and beat Manchester United Sunday (2-0), and should come into their return leg match with the French side flying. A 2-0 win would be enough, while a 3-1 victory would send the match to extra time and potentially penalties.

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery has won this competition three times when he was with Sevilla, and will know what his team will need to do. An early goal for the Gunners would set the tone. If Arsenal can pull off a comeback, that will mean that the Premier League will have six of the 16 teams left in both tournaments, which shows how much the tide may be turning back towards the league after so many years of Spanish dominance.

Portuguese leaders Benfica trail 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb, but will play the second leg at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Benfica had a shock 2-2 draw Monday against Belenenses, but the team may have been looking ahead to today. A two-goal win would send Benfica through, while a 1-0 result would send the tie to extra time; any other one-goal win, a draw, or a Zagreb win will see the Croatian side progress. Look for Joao Felix to help lead the charge for the Portuguese side.

Sevilla won this tournament three years in a row (2014, 2015, and 2016), and have been the only team to repeat a champions, which it also did in 2006 and 2007. It has been one of the top sides in the Europa League for more than a decade. So when the Spanish side failed to win its home leg last Thursday, drawing 2-2 with Slavia Prague, some eyebrows were raised. To progress, Sevilla will most likely have to win the away tie, unless there is a 2-2 or higher score draw. That score would send the tie to extra time, while 3-3 or higher draw would see the Spanish side progress.

Wissam Ben Yedder is the joint top scorer in the tournament with seven goals, while Ever Banega has chipped in with four. There will be goals in this match, which would seem to favor the visitors.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Arsenal (-400) vs. Rennes (+1100), draw (+500), 4 p.m. (Galavision and Fubo.tv)
The picks:
Arsenal first half -1 (+260)
Arsenal -1 game (-150)

Benfica (-225) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (+700), draw (+333), 4 p.m. (Univision Deportes app with Fubo.tv credentials)
The picks:
Benfica ML (-225)
Benfica -1 (+125)

Slavia Prague (+250) vs. Sevilla (+105), draw (+260), 4 p.m. (Univision Deportes and Fubo.tv)
The pick:
Sevilla ML (+105)