Thursday is finally here, meaning it is Europa League time! Matchday 4 is set to get underway today, with a plethora of interesting showdowns scheduled to take place in the upcoming round November the 4th.
Eight of the 16 fixtures will kick off at 1:45 p.m. ET, including Lyon's highly-anticipated showdown with Group A rivals Sparta Praha, while the remaining match-ups will commence at the typical 3 p.m. ET slot.
Lyon and West Ham could book their tickets to the round of 32, but the French side will be in for a tough challenge in this round – more on that later. Elsewhere, Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic will be in for a crucial day as both sides can rescue their hopes of progressing. Here's everything you need to know about Matchday 4 in the UEFA Europa League.
UEFA Europa League standings ahead of Matchday 4
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | |||||||||||
| 1 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 15 | WWWLW | |
| 2 | Freiburg | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 7 | WLLWD | |
| 4 | Bačka Topola | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 19 | -13 | 1 | LLLLD | |
| Group B | |||||||||||
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 13 | WWWWD | |
| 2 | Olympique Marseille | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 11 | LWWWD | |
| 3 | Ajax | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 5 | WLLLD | |
| 4 | AEK Athens | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 | LLLLD | |
| Group C | |||||||||||
| 1 | Rangers | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 11 | WDWDL | |
| 2 | Sparta Praha | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 10 | WWLDL | |
| 3 | Real Betis | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 | LLWWW | |
| 4 | Aris | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 | LDLLW | |
| Group D | |||||||||||
| 1 | Atalanta | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 14 | WDWDW | |
| 2 | Sporting CP | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | WDWDL | |
| 3 | Sturm Graz | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 4 | LLLDW | |
| 4 | Raków Częstochowa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 4 | LWLDL | |
| Group E | |||||||||||
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | LWLWW | |
| 2 | Toulouse | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 11 | WDWLW | |
| 3 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 | WDLWL | |
| 4 | LASK Linz | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 3 | LLWLL | |
| Group F | |||||||||||
| 1 | Villarreal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 13 | WDWWW | |
| 2 | Rennes | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 12 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Maccabi Haifa | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 5 | WDLLD | |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 4 | LLLLD | |
| Group G | |||||||||||
| 1 | Slavia Praha | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 15 | WWWLW | |
| 2 | Roma | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 | WDLWW | |
| 3 | Servette | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 5 | LDWDL | |
| 4 | Sheriff | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 17 | -12 | 1 | LLLDL | |
| Group H | |||||||||||
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 18 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Qarabağ | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 10 | WDLLW | |
| 3 | Molde | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | LDWWL | |
| 4 | Häcken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 17 | -14 | 0 | LLLLL | |
Top games to watch on Matchday 4 in the UEFA Europa League
Olympiakos Piraeus vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Olympiakos and Frankfurt sit in second and first in the table, respectively. Given that third-placed Fenerbahce are four points behind the round of 32 qualification spots, the Greek giants will not be in immediate danger of missing out on the knockout stage should they slip up. However, what is at stake is the no.1 spot as a single point separates the top two sides.
The Bundesliga outfit won 3-1 when they locked horns on Matchday 3, meaning the hosts are now out for revenge. That defeat saw Olympiakos lose the top spot to their German rivals, but victory on Thursday would see them reclaim it almost immediately. Do not miss this tie.
Lyon vs Sparta Praha: Lyon are one of only two teams who boast a perfect record, the other being West Ham, with the French heavyweights winning all three of their previous outings. This includes their earlier encounter with Sparta Praha, which Aouar and Co. triumphed in a thrilling 4-3 showdown.
The Ligue 1 side are now five points clear at the top and could secure their ticket to the round of 32 with a win. However, a lot is on the line for the visitors and they will thus be expected to give all they've got. The Czech side remain in second but have seen their lead over third-placed Rangers diminish to a single point. A second consecutive defeat against Lyon will put them in grave danger of crashing out in the group stage. Will they get revenge over Les Gones? Tune in to find out.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Real Betis: This showdown could go a long way in deciding two things: who will win the group and whether third-placed Celtic will leapfrog any of the top two teams to qualify for the last 32. The German side currently hold the no.1 spot, but only due to goal difference, as they are tied with Real Betis on seven points. Unfortunately, Leverkusen enter this tie on the back of terrible form, having lost their last two fixtures. In fact, Die Werkself are winless in their last five games, having lost three of them while drawing the remaining two – this includes the 1-1 stalemate with Real Betis in the previous Matchday.
As for the Spanish outfit, they are fifth in La Liga but enter this clash on the back of a 3-0 loss to Atletico Madrid. The home advantage will not be in Los Verdiblancos' favor, but with three wins from their last five games, form favors Manuel Pellegrini's side.
Who's in and who's out
Here are the list of players ruled out for the upcoming round from the UEFA Europa League's top clubs:
Lyon: Islam Slimani, Moussa Dembele, Lenny Pintor, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Julian Pollersbeck
Napoli: Victor Oshimen, Adam Ounas, Kevin Malcuit, Konstantinos Manolas
Marseille: Valentin Rongier
Lazio: Mattia Zaccagni
Galatasaray: Arda Turan, Omar Elabdellaoui, Sacha Boey
Real Sociedad: Carlos Fernandez, Nacho Monreal, Jon Guridi, Mikel Oyarzabal (out); Asier Illarramendi (doubtful)
PSV: Ritsu Doan, Richard Ledezma (out); Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke, Mario Gotze (doubtful)
Monaco: Cesc Fabregas (out); Krepin Diatta and Jean Marcelin (doubtful)
West Ham: Alex Kral (doubtful)
Real Betis: Youssouf Sabaly (out); Victor Camarasa (doubtful)
Bayer Leverkusen: Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Julian Baumgartlinger, Exequiel Palacios, Charles Aranguiz, Patrik Schick, Karim Bellarabi
