The groups in the Europa League and Europa Conference League are beginning to take shape and we should have a much better idea as to who is likely to be battling it out in the knockout rounds after Thursday’s third round of matches.
Six British teams are involved in the two competitions and we have come up with a five-fold accumulator selection from those matches, which take place at 5.45pm and 8pm.
Liverpool and West Ham will be looking to maintain their perfect records in the Europa League, while Brighton will fancy their chances of getting their first win at home to out-of-sorts Ajax.
Rangers have work to do against Sparta Prague after losing to Aris Limassol last time out, while in the Conference League Aston Villa need to kick on against AZ Alkmaar and Aberdeen will hope to win on home turf..
Recommended five-fold: Olympiakos to win, Brighton v Ajax BTTS, Liverpool & over 2.5 goals, Over 3.5 goals in AZ Alkmaar v Aston Villa, Aberdeen to win.
- Olympiakos to beat West Ham
- Brighton v Ajax both teams to score
- Under 3.5 goals in Liverpool v Toulouse
- Over 3.5 goals in AZ Alkmaar v Aston Villa
- Aberdeen to beat PAOK
Olympiakos vs West Ham
It has been 17 games since West Ham tasted defeat in European competition, but all good things come to an end and that run could come to a crashing halt at Olympiakos on Thursday.
The Hammers have kept just one clean sheet all season and were exposed on Sunday when they fell to a 4-1 loss at Aston Villa, that does not bode well for their trip to Greece.
Olympiakos were unfortunate not to win at Backa Topola when they were pegged back by a late goal having played the last 20 minutes with ten men, while they were also done by a late goal when they fell 3-2 to Bundesliga outfit Freiburg.
Their game against Panathinaikos was abandoned at the weekend, but they have dropped just two points in their seven Greek Super League matches this season and have scored four goals in each of their last four home games, so confidence should not be a problem.
Brighton v Ajax
Ajax have endured a dreadful start to the campaign and are second from bottom of the Eredivisie after gaining just one win from their opening seven games.
Their latest loss was a 4-3 defeat at Utrecht on Sunday which led to the departure of head coach Maurice Steijn after just four months at the helm.
But there is a chance that both teams will score when they head to Brighton in the Europa league.
That scenario has occurred in five of their last six matches and in all but one of the Seagulls’ 12 league and cup matches this season.
Brighton’s two Europa League games have featured a total of nine goals and this looks set to be another action-packed clash at the Amex Stadium.
Liverpool v Toulouse
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may take the opportunity to rest some of his star players for Thursday’s home game against Toulouse and there looks a decent chance that the Reds will not run away with things.
Ten of the Ligue 1 side’s matches this season have featured fewer than four goals and that looks a pattern that could be followed at Anfield.
Toulouse have already demonstrated that they can keep things tight against strong opposition this term, securing a 1-1 home draw against French champions Paris Saint-Germain, as well as a goalless draw at Marseille.
The Reds, meanwhile, have won their last two home matches by a 2-0 scoreline against Union Saint-Gilloise and Everton.
However, they needed injury-time strikes to confirm their victory on both occasions, so backing under 3.5 goals looks a sensible policy.
AZ Alkmaar v Aston Villa
Aston Villa are looking like a real force this season and have to be respected against anyone if they produce the sort of form that saw them crush West Ham 4-1 on Sunday.
That success over the Hammers was an 11th straight home league win for Unai Emery’s men, but they should also be respected on the road, including in Thursday’s Europa Conference League game at AZ Alkmaar.
Villa have work to do to get out of the group stage, so we can expect them to be positive on their visit to the Netherlands, especially as they have scored 12 goals in their last four games.
There have been a total of 14 goals in their four Conference League matches this season and the Dutch team’s statistics show they can be relied upon to dish up plenty of entertainment too.
There have been eight goals in Alkmaar’s two group matches and ten in their last four outings, so backing over 3.5 goals makes sense.
Aberdeen v PAOK
Aberdeen have been unfortunate to earn just one point from their two Europa Conference matches and they could rectify that by beating Greek side PAOK.
Barry Robson’s Dons are unbeaten in their last five matches and could have built up a head of steam to come out on top in this clash.
PAOK needed an injury-time goal to beat Eintracht Frankfurt and their other win over HJK Helsinki was also not confirmed until late on.
It looks as if they are slightly flattered by their tally of six points, so it is worth chancing that the Scottish Premiership team can get their first win.
