UEFA Europa League – Matchday 3 Expectations

October 29 was the last time we had to enjoy some action in the UEFA Europa League. Now that is about to change as we enter Matchday 3. Football fans eagerly await the clash between Benfica and Rangers.

Group A

Roma will take CFR Cluj on at 18.55 CET and Young Boys will try their luck with CSKA-Sofia at 21.00. Matchday 2 left a lot to be desired for this group as both matches ended in a draw. Hopefully, this is going to shake things up a bit. Or, at the very least, cement Roma at the top of the group.

Group B

Rapid Wien and Dundalk face off at 18:55 CET and Arsenal and Molde come on three hours later. Seeing as how both Arsenal and Molde are sitting atop 6 points each, this is going to be a huge tiebreaker that may very well set the tone of the group for the rest of the competition.

Group C

Slavia Praha vs Nice is scheduled at 18:55, at the same time as Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Leverkusen. The teams are too close together to make a clear picture of what we can expect.

Group D

This is where the main focus of the day is. If Rangers beat Benfica with their second wind, they are going to land their place at the top of the group. Lech Poznań and Standard Liège also have a match at 18.55, though we expect the fans are going to focus only on the end result. 

Group E

In group e, we have PAOK vs PSV Eindhoven and Omonoia vs Granada at 18:55. PAOK is likely going to have a tough time against PSV. However, no team has a clean sheet, so it is also probable that Thursday is not going to solve anything permanently.

Group F

Here, we have Real Sociedad vs AZ Alkmaar and Rijeka vs Napoli, both at 18.55. Alkmaar should be able to take on Real Sociedad. However, if they don’t, the scoreboard in the group is going to get a lot tenser.

Group G

This group features Leicester against Braga, as well as Zorya Luhansk against AEK Athens. Both matches take place at 21.00.  Leicester is on a roll and we believe this match against Braga is just going to cement their spot at the top of the group. Zorya and AEK are going against each other for the first time this season and the game will give either of them a chance to move away from the bottom.

Group H

Celtic has not been doing well so far. They are, however, in a slightly better position than their opponents – Sparta Praha. We expect Milan is going to do away with Lille after their colossal win against Inter.

Group I

Sivasspor vs Qarabağ starts at 18.55. At 21.00, we can watch Villareal take on Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Though both Villareal and Maccabi Tel-Aviv boast the same number of victories and points, we can have a clear picture of the result of their match. This is not the only competition where Villareal has been performing admirably lately.  

Group J

With a card like Harry Kane, the Spurs should be able to deal with Ludogorets with no difficulty. Antwerp is in a better position than LASK, but it is too early to tell how that match is going to play out. 

Group K

This group has not had much action in the past two matchdays. The matches are Dinamo Zagreb vs Wolfsberg and Feyenoord vs CSKA Moskva. Wolfsberg and Feyenoord have 4 points each, whereas Dinamo and CSKA have 2 each.

Group L

Finally, we expect Crvena Zvezda to beat Gent.  Hoffenheim also holds an advantage over Slovan Liberec.