The UEFA Europa League resumes, with Matchday 2 of this competition taking place on Thursday, October 5. Several exciting games will be staged in this round, namely Sporting CP's showdown with Atalanta.
However, that isn't the only exciting game to keep an eye on. Villarreal, Brighton, West Ham, and Liverpool are preparing for crucial ties. The Reds are an interesting one as all eyes will be on the Merseyside giants and how they fare on the pitch following that unforgettable weekend controversy at Tottenham.
As usual, the 16 group-stage matches will be split between two time slots, with eight kicking off at 12:45 p.m. ET while the remainder will commence at 3 p.m. ET. Here is everything you need to know about Matchday 2 of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League.
Broadcast information for the UEFA Europa League in the USA
CBS Sports offers a multiplatform coverage of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League season, with Paramount+ streaming all the games in this competition — as well as the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League — live for fans in the USA. Select matches will also be available on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network, the free 24-hour football streaming network.
TelevisaUnivision also has broadcasting rights for European football, which means fans in the USA will get Spanish-language coverage of the UEFA Europa League through TUDN USA, Univision, UniMás, and ViX.
Top games to watch on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League
Sporting CP vs. Atalanta
One of this round's standout fixtures sees Primeira Liga leaders Sporting CP host Italian heavyweights Atalanta in what should be a thrilling encounter. The Portuguese giants are yet to lose a game this season, winning six of their opening seven games in their domestic league while triumphing 2-1 in their Europa League opener.
La Dea, on the flip side, suffered two defeats in three Serie A outings between late August and mid-September. Furthermore, Atalanta failed to win over the weekend, drawing nil-nil against Juventus in the league. However, the visitors are still unbeaten in their last four matches and will be looking to hand Sporting CP their first defeat of the campaign.
Marseille vs. Brighton
Two top yet struggling teams face off in this tie as French heavyweights Marseille host Premier League overachievers Brighton. The Ligue 1 outfit have been on a horrible run, crashing to 12th in the league courtesy of a four-game winless run in the top flight. Overall, Les Phocéens have not won in their last five fixtures across all competitions and have won only twice in their last 10 matches.
Brighton, on the other hand, enter this clash on the back of a two-game losing streak, the worst being the 6-1 thrashing over the weekend away to Aston Villa. In fact, the Seagulls have triumphed only once since their unforgettable 3-1 victory at Old Trafford and even lost their opening Europa League game 3-2 at home to AEK Athens. Will they bounce back in this trip to the Stade Vélodrome? Tune in to find out.
Villarreal vs. Rennes
Villarreal host Rennes on Thursday in a must-win game for the Spanish outfit. The Yellow Submarine have been below par in La Liga so far, sitting in 13th, and kicked off the Europa League campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Panathinaikos. Since then, Villarreal have gone winless, drawing twice and losing once in the three subsequent fixtures.
Rennes, on the flip side, are sixth in Ligue 1 and have a win under their belt in the Europa League, beating Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in their opening game. Furthermore, the French outfit are unbeaten so far this season and will give it their all to maintain this record until their weekend clash with PSG in Ligue 1.%
Liverpool vs. Union Saint-Gilloise
Liverpool return to action for the first time following their controversial 2-1 loss away to Tottenham over the weekend. The Reds were denied a legitimate — and potentially crucial — goal courtesy of a huge blunder from VAR and were reduced to nine men before losing in the final minute via an own goal. Since then, the club have received an apology but this has done little to quell their anger. Nonetheless, the Merseyside giants must regain their focus to
The visitors, meanwhile, will want to secure a historic win at the iconic Anfield Stadium. Union Saint-Gilloise have been the best team in Belgium so far this season but will need to be at their best nonetheless. While Les Unionistes Union 60 are unbeaten in their last four outings, Alexander Blessin's side did not triumph in their opening game of the Europa League season and suffered a defeat less than a month ago, going 2-0 down at home to Genk. Don't miss this showdown.
Who's in and who's out?
Here are the list of players injured from the UEFA Europa League's top clubs:
Sporting CP: Sebastian Coates and Jeremiah St. Juste (injured)
Atalanta: Gianluca Scamacca and El Bilal Toure (injured)
Marseille: Geoffrey Kongdogbia (injured)
Brighton: James Milner, Pascal Gros, Julio Enciso, and Jakub Moder (injured)
Villarreal: No major issues
Rennes: No major issues
Liverpool: Cody Gakpo and Thiago Alcantara (injured)
Union Saint-Gilloise: Dennis Eckert-Ayensa (injured)
Leverktusen: Arthur (injured)
Roma: Tammy Abraham, Marash Kumbulla, Chris Smalling, Renato Sanches, and Diego Llorente (injured)
West Ham: Aaron Cresswell (doubtful)
