Top Europa League fixtures to watch out for

Europa League night is here again. NRTC’s Oladipupo Mojeed will be previewing some of the top games that will be played tonight.

Lyon vs Brøndby IF

Lyon failed to win their first three games of the season but since then have lost just one of their subsequent seven and that was a 2-1 defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain.

Brondby have only won three of their opening 14 matches, really struggling to turn draws into wins. Their first group match ended in a 0-0 draw with Sparta Prague.

Lyon are certainly the favourites but the fact they are bogged down by injuries gives Brondby something to cling on to.

Prediction: 2-0

Real Sociedad vs Monaco

Real Sociedad are flying high in second in La Liga but it would be remarkable if they can sustain that form given their current spate of injuries. In four home games this season, Real Sociedad are yet to concede but haven’t scored more than once themselves in any of those fixtures.

Like Real Sociedad, Monaco lost their first game of the season but they haven’t had quite the resurgence as their Spanish counterparts. They languish eighth in Ligue 1 but have at least won three of their last four in all competitions.

Real Sociedad’s home games this season tell us not to expect goals but Monaco will be disappointed if they don’t come away with at least a point given La Real’s injury problems.

Prediction: 1-1

Legia Warszawa vs Leicester City

Legia Warszawa left it late but defeated Spartak Moscow 1-0 in Russia in their Europa League opener. That result sparked a three-game winning streak, though that ended at the weekend with defeat.

A 2-2 draw with Napoli is certainly not a bad result but Leicester were 2-0 up in the second half. Leicester have only won one of their last five and that was against lower league opposition.

Leicester will be fancied on paper but their recent performances suggest they may struggle again here.

Prediction: 1-1

Napoli vs Spartak Moscow

Napoli are flying at the moment. The Serie A outfit have won three in a row with 10 goals scored and none conceded. Prior to that they beat Juventus and came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Leicester in their first Europa League group game.

Spartak Moscow are really struggling for consistency. The Russian side have lost three of their last five, including a 1-0 defeat at home to Legia Warszawa in their opening Europa League group game. Away from home they have scored just twice in five games.

Prediction: 3-1

Lazio vs Locomotiv Moscow

After four games without a win, Lazio defeated city rivals Roma in a five-goal thriller in a big boost for the club. They need to carry that momentum into this game as they lost their first Europa League group match.

Lokomotiv Moscow are unbeaten in all competitions this season and impressively held Marseille to a 1-1 draw in their opening Europa League group game despite playing with a man less for the final 30 minutes. They will do well to keep that streak going away to Lazio on Thursday.

Prediction: 2-0

Celtic vs Bayern Leverkusen

Celtic came out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller against Real Betis in their opening Europa League group game. The Scottish side have actually lost four of their last seven matches in all competitions.

Bayer Leverkusen beat Ferencvaros 2-1 in their first group match in the competition. The Bundesliga outfit have won five of their last six and are firm favourites here.

Prediction: 1-2

West Ham United vs Rapid Wien

West Ham got their Europa League campaign off to the perfect start with an impressive 2-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb. The Hammers have only lost one of their opening eight matches in all competitions in even in that defeat they missed a stoppage-time penalty to avoid defeat against Manchester United.

Rapid Wien’s season has turned into a nightmare. They find themselves on a run of four defeats from their last six matches. They started their Europa League group stage campaign with a 1-0 home loss to Genk and will be considered big underdogs at the London Stadium on Thursday.

Prediction: 3-0