PSV Eindhoven coach Fred Rutten is confident his team can overturn a 1-0 deficit against Sibir Novosibirsk.

The Dutch side slipped to a last-gasp defeat in the first leg of the play-off encounter in Siberia last Thursday but, after picking up nine points from their first three Eredivisie matches, Rutten is upbeat over his side's form and prospects.

"We will stick to a well-organised game plan and will not restrict ourselves to kick-and-rush football," he vowed.

"We just have one goal in mind: reach the Europa League group stage. However, Sibir are physically strong and will provide stubborn resistance.

"They prefer to play long balls in the hope that an attacking player will get them and we will have to work really hard to beat them.

"But following Sunday's win over AZ Alkmaar, we are confident we can get through to the next round."

FC Utrecht also have plenty to do as they look to overturn a 2-0 deficit at home to Celtic, while AZ Alkmaar travel to FC Aktobe 2-0 up and Feyenoord have a 1-0 lead for their trip to Gent.

Liverpool, holding a 1-0 lead, will be without captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres for their second leg against Trabzonspor in Turkey.

Gerrard has a back problem while manager Roy Hodgson has decided not to risk Torres in a third successive game following his injury problems last season.

Manchester City, also 1-0 up, will be missing striker Mario Balotelli because of a knee problem for the visit of Romanian side FC Timisoara.

The tie between Aston Villa and Rapid Vienna, drawn together for the second successive year, is finely poised after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Getafe goalkeeper Oscar Ustari is not expecting an easy ride at Apoel Nicosia but was delighted with how things went in last week's 1-0 home win.

"Beyond that (a clean sheet), the good work that was done last Thursday should be noted," he said. "Without being 100%, we won.

"We know that things are different when playing away from home. They will probably push a lot, so we must be calm and remain who we are - a modest club that likes to play good football."

Villarreal midfielder Javier Matilla will not be taking Dnepr Mogilev lightly despite the Spanish side's thumping 5-0 away win in the first leg.

He told www.villarrealcf.es: "The tie is very much on track but we are going to Belarus with the intention of winning.

"We look forward to playing European competition. The goal is to make things good without thinking that the tie is 5-0."

Like the Yellow Submarine, German sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen head into their second legs well placed after thumping home wins last week - the former 4-0 against FK Qarabag and the latter 3-0 over Tavriya Symferopol.

Stuttgart also gained an advantage last week, albeit a more slender 1-0, at Slovan Bratislava.

Christian Gross' side followed up that win with a 2-0 loss at Mainz in their Bundesliga opener, but the coach said: "In spite of the defeat, I did see some positive aspects which we can build upon in the upcoming games against Bratislava and Dortmund."

Juventus edged past Sturm Graz 2-1 last week and will be looking to finish the job at the Stadio Olimpico.

The other two Serie A sides in action also hold the upper hand in their respective ties. Napoli beat Elfsborg 1-0 while Palermo were 3-0 winners against Maribor.

Paris St Germain have travelled to Israel with a 2-0 cushion for their second leg against Maccabi Tel Aviv, while the capital club's Ligue 1 rivals Lille will try once again to break down FC Vaslui at home after a goalless away leg.

Elsewhere, Porto have one foot in the group stages following their 3-0 away win over Genk last week, while BATE Borisov and CSKA Sofia travel to Maritimo and The New Saints respectively with similar cushions.

Hajduk Split travel to Romania to face Unirea Urziceni holding a 4-1 first-leg advantage, but Fenerbahce have it all to do to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the home leg of their clash with PAOK Salonika.

Galatasaray have work to do after a 2-2 draw in their home leg against Karpaty Lviv, while Sporting Lisbon travel to Brondby looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit.