Olympiacos face West Ham at the London Stadium
Olympiacos return to England for the seventh time in five seasons when they face West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Europa League on Thursday. The Greek side recorded an impressive 2-1 win over the Hammers in the reverse fixture on matchday three to blow Group A wide open, ending West Ham’s English-record 17-game unbeaten run in Europe.
Defeat in Piraeus contributed to a concerning run of form West Ham now find themselves in, as another defeat over the weekend means David Moyes‘s side have now lost four of their last five games.
A lack of defensive solidity is evident in the West Ham defence, as they have conceded 11 goals during this poor run of form.
In the seven games since, the Hammers have taken just four points, losing five, while a defeat in Europe last time out has also put increased pressure on this fixture.
That matchday three defeat to Olympiacos was not wholly damaging as they remain top of the group, but they are now level on points with Freiburg, who face bottom-placed TSC Backa Topola this week, so another defeat would likely see them drop out of the top two.
The West Ham faithful will be in expectant mood that they can turn the tide on a poor recent run of form, despite losing to the Greeks in Piraeus two weeks ago.
Olympiacos will cause West Ham problems with the abundance of attacking talent in their side, but the Hammers have been superb on home soil in Europe over the past two-and-a-half years and are favourites here.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Ajax welcome Brighton to the Johan Cruyff Arena
Ajax will entertain Brighton at the Johan Cruyff Arena in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League today.
The hosts have endured a winless start to their campaign and are at the bottom of the Group B table with just two points to their name.
The visitors, meanwhile, have done well in their debut European campaign, with a win, loss, and a draw in their first three games of the competition.
The two teams met in East Sussex last month in the reverse fixture. It was a historic day for Brighton as they registered their first-ever European win, defeating Ajax 2-0 at home. Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati scored in either half to condemn the Dutch side to their first defeat of the campaign.
The hosts have seen an uptick in form recently and have won two games on the trot, following a 10-game winless run.
The two teams will meet for just the second time. Brighton recorded a home win in the reverse fixture and Ajax will look to return the favor in this match.
Roberto De Zerbi has a lengthy absentee list with Julio Enciso, Jakub Moder, Danny Welbeck, and Solomon March on the treatment table currently. Pervis Estupinan is also expected to sit this one out with a thigh strain but Tariq Lamptey should return as he was rested against Everton.
Considering the current form of the two teams, a draw is likely to ensue.
Credit: sportskeeda.com
Liverpool must beat Toulouse for a top-two finish
With victory over Toulouse at Stadium Municipal on Thursday evening, Liverpool will assure themselves of a top-two finish in Europa League Group E with a pair of matches to spare.
The Reds battered the Coupe de France winners 5-1 during their showdown at Anfield two weeks ago, leaving the French side third in the section with four points to their name at the halfway mark.
Defeat at Anfield marked the beginning of a dampening three-game losing streak for Toulouse, who fell to a 3-0 Ligue 1 loss at the hands of Montpellier HSC three days after being crushed by Liverpool, and newly-promoted Le Havre stunned Martinez’s men 2-0 at Stadium Municipal on Sunday. Toulouse are now winless in five successive matches.
Liverpool’s five-star performance versus Toulouse saw the Merseyside giants make it three wins from three against the Coupe de France winners, whose only previous home game against the Reds in 2007-08 Champions League qualifying, where an Andriy Voronin strike proved decisive in a 1-0 Liverpool success.
A rocking Stadium Municipal atmosphere could potentially spell danger for a second-string Liverpool backline, but Toulouse’s lingering defensive concerns are set to prove costly once again.
The Reds may have left a lot to be desired at Kenilworth Road, but a refreshed set of attacking options should help to maintain their 100% continental start, even if the margin of victory is not as emphatic as it was a fortnight ago.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Roma to maintain perfect record when they travel to Slavia Prague
Roma will aim to continue their perfect record in the 2023-24 Europa League campaign on Thursday, when they travel to take on Slavia Prague in the fourth round of group fixtures.
The visitors have won each of their opening three games and will aim to guarantee a place in the round of 16 with a fourth straight victory, while their hosts are only three points worse off and are also fighting for guaranteed progression to the last 16.
Roma, meanwhile, will aim to make it back-to-back triumphs over Slavia Prague on Thursday and four consecutive wins in the group stage to move out of sight in the fight for a round-of-16 spot, after only missing out on the Europa League title by the barest of margins last season, losing in a penalty shootout against Sevilla in the final.
Jose Mourinho‘s side returned to Europe’s secondary competition this term with their sights set on going all the way, and they have certainly made a strong start in the group stage.
Roma will continue to deal with several absences as Tammy Abraham remains confined to the treatment room alongside Marash Kumbulla, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Leonardo Spinazzola, although Leandro Paredes will return to contention.
Thursday certainly presents Roma’s toughest test of the group stage thus far, but they should take confidence from their victory over Slavia Prague in their previous meeting in Italy, and we fancy them to come out on top again this week thanks to the superior quality throughout their squad.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
