Holders Sevilla are determined to atone for their below-par first-leg performance and reach successive UEFA Cup finals at the expense of compatriots Osasuna on Thursday. Osasuna, who pinned their opponents back for long periods, take a slender 1-0 lead to Andalucia but will have to contend with a hostile atmosphere at the Sanchez Pizjuan.
"We know that it will be very hard. In the first leg we lacked edge and we won't let that happen again. We might play badly but we have to give it everything," Sevilla midfielder Enzo Maresca told the club's Web site.
Osasuna must do without their on-loan striker Roberto Soldado, booked just before he scored the first-leg winner and now suspended after amassing three yellow cards in the competition.
A total of 11 players -- six from Sevilla and five from Osasuna -- are walking a suspension tightrope and are one booking away from missing the final on May 16 in Glasgow. Osasuna have a good recent record in the Sanchez Pizjuan, winning league fixtures by the only goal in 2005 and 2006.
The winners should feature in an all-Spanish final with Espanyol taking a 3-0 lead to Germany to face Werder Bremen. Espanyol can be excused a note of caution, however, with the memories of the 1988 final defeat to Bayer Leverkusen enough to guard against any complacency.
The Catalans took a 3-0 lead from the home leg to Germany. The opening 45 minutes of the return proved goalless before Leverkusen scored three second-half goals to force extra time, eventually lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout. Espanyol are unbeaten on their travels in Europe this season, winning away against Ajax Amsterdam, Sparta Prague, Livorno and drawing with Artmedia Bratislava, Maccabi Haifa and Benfica.
Bookings in the first leg have ruled out Moises Hurtado and Walter Pandiani, the competition's top socrer with 11 goals, although the Spaniards welcome back Francisco Chica, Luis Garcia and Juan Velasco from suspension.
Bremen's season is in danger of falling apart. With a mountain to climb to reach the UEFA Cup final, their hopes of securing the Bundesliga title suffered a setback at the weekend after a 3-2 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld left them in third place, two points behind leaders Schalke 04 with three games to play. Werder, at least, can point to their previous comebacks from three goals down in Europe, as a reason for some optimism.
In 1987-88 they came back from a 4-1 away-leg defeat against Spartak Moscow to win 6-2 after extra time in the return and reach the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. A year later they lost 3-0 away to Dynamo Berlin in the first round of the European Cup but went through after winning 5-0 in the second leg.
In the 1999-2000 season they again came back from 3-0, this time away to Olympique Lyon in the third round of the UEFA Cup. In the return leg at the Weserstadion they won 4-0 to make it through. Andreas Reinke will deputise in goal for the suspended Tim Weise who was sent off in the first leg in Barcelona.