International Friendlies

Forest have not conceded in their last three Europa League games with a combined xGA of 0.75. Sean Dyche’s side have kept clean sheets in three of their last four away games while Utrecht have failed to score in four of their last six European games, so the visitors should get the job done without conceding.

Lyon look a level or two above their Dutch opponents and with home advantage the French side should win fairly comfortably. Go Ahead Eagles are in poor form with just one win in their last seven games, and four defeats, but they can at least grab a consolation effort. GAE have scored eight goals across their last five games and Lyon’s defence has looked suspect at times, with six goals conceded across their last five home games.

Ferencvaros have won their last three matches while Rangers have lost their last four away games in Europe. The Hungarian champions look good for the three points, having won three of their five Europa League games, drawing the other two. Rangers have scored in three of their five European aways. 

Roma have won three of their five games in the Europa League this season and they have won their last two ties in Europe. The Italians have already had success in Glasgow this season, having beaten Rangers 2-0 last month, and they can claim the points at Parkhead.

Managerless Rapid Vienna are bottom of the table with no points on the board but they can at least score against in-form Omonia. The Austrian side have seen both teams score in four of their lasty five games and have scored in three consecutive home games in their domestic league. Omonia’s attack looks in good shape as they have scored eight goals across their last three games, but they have conceded in three successive European trips so a shut-out is unlikely for the visitors in Vienna.

Fenerbahce have been poor travellers in Europe this season with no wins in four attempts including qualifiers (D1, L3). Brann have picked up wins over Rangers and Utrecht in Norway and can pull off a minor upset by seeing off Fener on Thursday.

Rovers are big price underdogs here but they may be able to grind out a win to keep their hopes alive. Shamrock defend well and they somehow managed to hold AEK to a 1-1 draw in Greece, while they went down to a respectable 2-1 defeat to big guns Shakhtar Donetsk at home in the last round of games. If Shamrock are able to get their noses in front they have enough about them to hold on to a lead.

Forest have not conceded in their last three Europa League games with a combined xGA of 0.75. Sean Dyche’s side have kept clean sheets in three of their last four away games while Utrecht have failed to score in four of their last six European games, so the visitors should get the job done without conceding.

Ferencvaros have won their last three matches while Rangers have lost their last four away games in Europe. The Hungarian champions look good for the three points, having won three of their five Europa League games, drawing the other two.

This is a must-win game for both sides and that should lead to a fairly cagey affair. Breidablik have scored just two goals across four Conference League games and Shamrock have only hit three, so these sides are unlikely to combine for three or more goals in total.

Legia claimed a win over Shakhtar earlier in the league phase but sit outside of the qualification spots as they have lost their other three assignments. The Polish outfit should be able to boost their chances of reaching the next round by seeing off Noah in Armenia, as the hosts are on a six-game winless run across all competitions (D3, L3).

This is a must-win game for both sides and that should lead to a fairly cagey affair. Breidablik have scored just two goals across four Conference League games and Shamrock have only hit three, so these sides are unlikely to combine for three or more goals in total.

Celtic have scored only seven goals and conceded eight in their five Europa League games, while Roma have scored the same and conceded only five. The Hoops have only conceded more than one goal in one of their last six.

Williot Swedberg scored both goals against Real at the weekend after coming off the Celta bench early in the second half. The 21-year-old has only recently returned from injury and that display in Madrid may see him handed a start on Thursday, and if he is involved from the off he looks a candidate for an anytime goal.

Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo has impressed in the cup competitions this season with four goals in eight games across two tournaments. The Italian has three goals in his last four cup games and he can add to his haul against Salzburg.

Jadon Sancho’s expected goals figure of 0.65 on his last European start suggests he could be nearing his first Villa goal. He has been playing well in cameo appearances in the league and will be keen to impress on Thursday.

Barnabas Varga has scored in nine of his last 13 appearances for Ferencvaros and is their top scorer in the Europa League with three goals in five games. He should be in the vicinity to capitalise on any defensive mistakes if Rangers cannot eradicate them from their system.

Slovan breathed some life into what had been a disastrous Conference League campaign with an unlikely 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in the last batch of games. The Bratislava outfit need to follow that up with a win in Macedonia and visiting forward Nino Marcelli can play his part with a goal. Marcelli had an assist against Rayo and has five goals in 17 Slovakian league games, and one strike in four appearances in this competition.

Celta Vigo have scored in all five of their league phase games but have just one clean sheet. Bologna have scored in six consecutive games and both teams have scored in each of their last four in all comps, so goals at both ends looks likely.

Ferencvaros have won their last three matches while Rangers have lost their last four away games in Europe. The Hungarian champions look good for the three points, having won three of their five Europa League games, drawing the other two.

Freiburg are unbeaten in the Europa League and have won their last four home games in all competitions, with three of those wins coming by two or more goals. The Bundesliga side can win with room to spare against Salzburg, who have struggled in Europe this season and have lost by two or more goals at Bologna and Lyon.

Aston Villa have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches. They will try to keep that trend up against a Basel side that have conceded two or more goals in three of their five Europa League games.

Celta Vigo have scored in all five of their league phase games but have just one clean sheet. Bologna have scored in six consecutive games and both teams have scored in each of their last four in all comps, so goals at both ends looks likely.

Fenerbahce have been poor travellers in Europe this season with no wins in four attempts including qualifiers (D1, L3). Brann have picked up wins over Rangers and Utrecht in Norway and can at least avoid defeat on Thursday.

Lyon look a level or two above their Dutch opponents and with home advantage the French side should win fairly comfortably. Go Ahead Eagles are in poor form with just one win in their last seven games, and four defeats, but they can at least grab a consolation effort. GAE have scored eight goals across their last five games and Lyon’s defence has looked suspect at times, with six goals conceded across their last five home games.

Aberdeen are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, but they have not faced a team of Strasbourg’s quality. While the French outfit have lost three of their last four matches, they have won three of their four European ties. RSC are yet to keep a clean sheet in the League Phase so the Dons can at least strike in defeat. 

Mainz are enduring a woeful season domestically but they have at least been getting results in Europe, with three wins in four games in the league phase. The German outfit have enough quality to overcome Lech but the hosts should be able to get on the scoresheet, as Lech haven’t drawn a blank at home in any competition this season and Mainz have gone nine games without a clean sheet.

Williot Swedberg scored both goals against Real at the weekend after coming off the Celta bench early in the second half. The 21-year-old has only recently returned from injury and that display in Madrid may see him handed a start on Thursday, and if he is involved from the off he looks a candidate for an anytime goal.

Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo has impressed in the cup competitions this season with four goals in eight games across two tournaments. The Italian has three goals in his last four cup games and he can add to his haul against Salzburg.

Jadon Sancho’s expected goals figure of 0.65 on his last European start suggests he could be nearing his first Villa goal. He has been playing well in cameo appearances in the league and will be keen to impress on Thursday.

Celta have five draws in their last nine at home, while two of Bologna’s last four away have finished level. Both sides could do with a win in terms of their respective battles for top eight finishes but they look fairly well matched and may have to settle for a point each. With both attacks in form, a 2-2 stalemate has a chance.

Freiburg are unbeaten in the Europa League and have won their last four home games in all competitions, with three of those wins coming by two or more goals. The Bundesliga side can win with room to spare against Salzburg, who have struggled in Europe this season and have lost by two or more goals at Bologna and Lyon. Freiburg have managed clean sheets in four of their last six at home so a 3-0 win seems reasonable in the correct score market, given Salzburg have shipped six goals and scored just once across their two league phase trips. 

Celta Vigo have scored in all five of their league phase games but have just one clean sheet. Bologna have scored in six consecutive games and both teams have scored in each of their last four in all comps, so goals at both ends looks likely.

Aberdeen are unbeaten in eight matches, scoring in seven of those ties. Strasbourg have picked up 10 points from their first four European ties and should be able to find a way through at Pittodrie, but RSC are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league phase so both teams can get on the scoresheet.

Basel have not lost at home in Europe this season and scored two at home to Vfb Stuttgart and three against FCSB. Aston Villa have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches, so both of these in-form attacks should be able to get on the scoresheet.

Lyon look a level or two above their Dutch opponents and with home advantage the French side should win fairly comfortably. Go Ahead Eagles are in poor form with just one win in their last seven games, and four defeats, but they can at least grab a consolation effort. GAE have scored eight goals across their last five games and Lyon’s defence has looked suspect at times, with six goals conceded across their last five home games.

Managerless Rapid Vienna are bottom of the table with no points on the board but they can at least score against in-form Omonia. The Austrian side have seen both teams score in four of their lasty five games and have scored in three consecutive home games in their domestic league. Omonia’s attack looks in good shape as they have scored eight goals across their last three games, but they have conceded in three successive European trips so a shut-out is unlikely for the visitors in Vienna.

Celta Vigo have scored in all five of their league phase games but have just one clean sheet. Bologna have scored in six consecutive games and both teams have scored in each of their last four in all comps, so goals at both ends looks likely.

Guabira have lost their last six away matches and have conceded 20 goals in the process, while Always Ready have scored 29 goals across their last eight home games, notching four or more times in six of those.

Tomayapo have only lost one of their last six home league games and have won their last three. They have avoided defeat in their last four home meetings with The Strongest, who head into this having only won one of their last four.

Central Coast Mariners have only managed one point from two home games this season and face an Auckland FC side that have won four of their last six matches, including a victory away to Wellington Phoenix.