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Published 26 Feb, 2015 06:45am

Riots in Rome spark concern ahead of EL matches

ROME: Riots in Rome last week have sparked extra anti-violence measures for several of Thursday’s second-leg matches in the Europa League’s last 32.

Police in Rotterdam are tightening security and drafting in reinforcements ahead of a highly charged match between Feyenoord and Roma after Dutch fans destroyed a 400-year-old fountain before the first leg last week, which ended 1-1.

The problems in Rome have prompted worries over artistic treasures in Florence ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Fiorentina following a 1-1 draw in London.

With 2,200 Tottenham supporters expected in the Renaissance city, Florence officials will be posting extra police around the historic centre’s monuments and museums.

And with Celtic heading to Milan to face Inter after a 3-3 first-leg draw, the Scottish club’s assistant manager John Collins warned supporters that it is “vitally important” to behave in the northern Italian city.

Celtic were fined 10,000 euros ($11,000) by UEFA for crowd disturbances at a match in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb last year.

Elsewhere, Liverpool visit the Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium in Istanbul for the first time since their win in the 2005 Champions League final when they carry a 1-0 lead into the second leg against Besiktas.

Liverpool’s city rivals Everton already have one foot in the next round as they host Swiss side Young Boys having won 4-1 in Berne last week with Romelu Lukaku scoring a hat-trick.

Napoli have also virtually qualified to the last 16 after a 4-0 drubbing of Trabzonspor in the away leg.

Other second-leg ties to look out for on Thursday include holders Sevilla’s trip to Germany to defend a 1-0 first-leg lead against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Sevilla are one of three Spanish teams defending positive results with Villarreal defending a slender 2-1 lead in Salzburg and Athletic Bilbao hosting Torino after a promising 2-2 draw in the first leg.

VfL Wolfsburg’s Dutch striker Bas Dost, who has scored eight goals in three matches in the past week, will be in the spotlight when they take a 2-0 first-leg lead to Sporting Lisbon.

Russians Dynamo Moscow welcome Anderlecht after a goalless draw in Belgium while Zenit St Petersburg host PSV Eindhoven after winning 1-0 the Netherlands. Ajax Amsterdam travel to Legia Warsaw defending the same score-line but Club Brugge’s 3-1 first leg win at Aalborg should ease their path at home to the Danes.

Dynamo Kiev aim to overturn a 2-1 defeat to Guingamp in Ukraine while their compatriots Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk hold a 2-0 lead over Olympiakos ahead of their trip to Athens.

Published in Dawn February 26th , 2015

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