Weeks do not get much better than this one for football fans. There is live football on every single weekday, which is the perfect tonic for the dragging working days.
Our Thursday treat is Europa League action. With the first match kicking off at 4pm and the later matches set to finish at around 10pm BST, it’s a marathon session for those committed enough.
In this piece we are going to wander through a few of the best fixtures:
RED STAR BELGRADE vs ARSENAL
Arsenal make the trip to the magnificent Marakana on the cusp of crisis again. Their limp defeat to Watford at the weekend means victory in Serbia is even more important than previously.
Their chaotic meeting with BATE Borisov on matchday two does little to calm any nerves of Arsenal supporters, too. Despite far superior players, the Gunners’ second string were all at sea defensively and made hard work of a match that should have been a stroll in the park once they had taken an early lead.
Arsene Wenger’s side have taken all the available points, but could drop into second in the group with defeat here.
Red Star will produce a hostile atmosphere at an iconic stadium, and are a team accustomed to victory. Their win away at FC Cologne in their last Europa League outing shows they are no walkover for the Gunners, despite Cologne’s struggles this term.
A heavily-rotated Arsenal team could be rattled under the lights in Belgrade, and the Gunners often follow a bad result with another.
TIP: Match to be drawn @ 11/4
DYNAMO KYIV vs Young Boys
Dynamo Kyiv have got off to an absolute flier in Group B, and can as good as confirm their progression with a victory on Thursday. They have six points from two matches, scoring six in the process.
The Ukrainian side were involved in a thriller with Partizan Belgrade last time out, and – if their first two matches are anything to go by – we can expect another high-scoring affair here.
BSC Young Boys, meanwhile, will be disappointed with their two points at this stage. It’s enough to keep them second in the group, but their 1-1 draw with Skenderbeu on matchday two puts them under pressure to deliver here.
Home advantage tips the balance for me.
TIP: Dynamo Kyiv to win @ 7/10
AC MILAN vs AEK Athens
The top two teams in Group D face-off at the San Siro with AC Milan on a perfect six points, and the visitors on a respectable four.
After a summer of massive investment and a plethora of changes to the team, Milan have had an up and down start to the season. Their Europa League results have been a positive, but three straight Serie A defeats – including a heart-breaking defeat to Inter at the weekend – see them already off the pace domestically.
The defence has been leaky for Milan in the Europa League, too, while there have been over 2.5 goals in both of AEK Athens’ matches. We should at least see some goals at one of football’s great coliseums, but Milan cannot afford to slip up again.
TIP: Milan to score in both halves @ 57/50
EVERTON vs LYON
Each match feels like it could be Ronald Koeman’s last as Everton manager at the moment.
Lyon have their own concerns, however, and will go to Goodison Park in desperate need of a victory having drawn their first two in the group. The Toffees have a solitary point after their frustrating draw with Apollon Limassol, and will need a miracle to qualify if they fall to defeat.
Failure to beat Brighton at the weekend really sums up the dire start to the season for Everton. To say they lack momentum coming into this crucial fixture would be the understatement of the season to date.
The visitors, on the other hand, put an end to a three-match winless Ligue 1 run with a cracking 3-2 victory over Monaco. It could be a tense evening on Merseyside, with a low-scoring affair probable.
With this being the first of a double-header, avoiding defeat is perhaps most important of all for both teams.
TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 21/20
*Odds subject to change - accurate at the time of writing*
