Best European Football Leagues to Bet On

Leeds United host Newcastle United at Elland Road on Monday 14 September 2026 in an England - Premier League Week 4 meeting between two sides still unbeaten in the league. Daniel Farke's Leeds have been compact rather than flashy, following a 1-1 draw at Brighton with home resilience against Brentford, but the midweek Carabao Cup trip to Chelsea ended in a 6-3 defeat that will concern Farke because of the space conceded in transition.

Newcastle arrive with a new managerial voice after Matthias Jaissle replaced Eddie Howe in August, and the early signs are encouraging: a 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth was followed by a statement 0-2 win at Tottenham, then Joe Willock's late strike settled a 0-1 Carabao Cup victory at Millwall. The Magpies' blend of direct running and set-piece pressure makes them dangerous even when they do not dominate possession.

Brentford host Chelsea in a West London derby at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday, 18 September 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 BST under the lights for live television coverage. This Matchweek 5 clash of the 2026/2027 Premier League season sees two of the division's most consistent sides so far go head-to-head: Brentford are unbeaten after four rounds (one win, three draws) sitting sixth, while Chelsea sit fifth with two wins, a draw and a defeat. The bookmakers make Chelsea the slight favourite in European (decimal) odds at around 2.20, the draw priced at approximately 3.40, and Brentford the home underdog at roughly 3.20, with the Over 2.5 goals market also attracting heavy interest given both teams' attacking profiles.

Keith Andrews has built a resilient Brentford side for the 2026/2027 campaign, built around the goals of Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade, with Jordan Henderson and Vitaly Janelt anchoring midfield and Fábio Carvalho providing the creative spark. The Bees come into this derby after a hard-fought 2-2 draw away to Bournemouth in which Schade struck twice, while their previous league outing ended in a 1-1 home draw with Sunderland. Brentford's only win of the season so far was a commanding 3-0 opening-day triumph over Tottenham at home, and they have drawn each of their last three league matches — a pattern that makes the draw a live option once again at the Gtech.

Bayern Munich host Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena on Friday, 18 September 2026, with kick-off at 20:30 local time, in a Bundesliga 2026/27 fixture that arrives with both sides heading in very different directions. Vincent Kompany's champions dropped their first points of the season at promoted Schalke before grinding out a narrow away win at SV Elversberg on Sunday, while Union Berlin arrive in Munich on the back of a damaging home defeat to Schalke that handed the Royal Blues their first Bundesliga win in more than three years. The historical backdrop strongly favours the hosts: Bayern are unbeaten in 16 meetings with Union, including a comfortable 4-0 victory when the sides last met at the Allianz Arena in March 2026.

Bayern's 2026/27 squad mixes proven winners with high-profile summer reinforcements. Captain Manuel Neuer remains first choice in goal, shielded by a back line featuring Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, Jonathan Tah and new €55 million signing Nathaniel Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt, with Alphonso Davies and Josip Stanišić on the flanks. Joshua Kimmich and Konrad Laimer control the midfield alongside Ismael Saibari, the summer arrival from PSV Eindhoven, while the attack is spearheaded by Harry Kane, the in-form Michael Olise, Luis Díaz and Serge Gnabry, with Jamal Musiala back in action after his recent health issues. Bayern's early-season form reads: a dominant 5-1 opening-day rout of VfB Stuttgart, a frustrating goalless 0-0 at the Veltins-Arena, and a hard-fought 2-1 win at promoted Elversberg sealed by Kane.

Como 1907 host Parma Calcio 1913 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Monday, 14 September 2026, in one of the most intriguing fixtures of the Serie A 2026/27 season so far. Cesc Fàbregas' side have been one of the stories of the new campaign, sitting 4th in the standings with 7 points from three matches, and they are also preparing for their debut season in the Champions League, which has only raised the excitement levels around Lake Como. Parma, back in the top flight after their Serie B journey, find themselves in 16th place with just a single point, and new coach Carlos Cuesta knows his team must tighten up quickly if they are to avoid another relegation battle. With the odds firmly stacked in the hosts' favour, this clash promises to be a stern examination of Parma's resilience against one of Italy's most ambitious projects.

Como's form has been nothing short of spectacular. After opening the season with a hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Udinese, the Lariani stunned Napoli at the Maradona, winning 1-2 away from home before producing the performance of the round last time out, demolishing Genoa 4-1 at the Luigi Ferraris with goals from Martin Baturina, an Assane Diao brace and Nico Paz. Parma's recent results paint the opposite picture: they were beaten 2-0 by Juventus in Turin in their last away outing and could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Monza, leaving them anchored in the drop zone with confidence in short supply.

Inter host Udinese at San Siro on Monday, 14 September 2026, in a Serie A Matchweek 4 clash that pits the title favourites against a compact Friulani side still searching for consistency. The latest team news shapes the narrative: Inter responded to their 3-2 comeback win over Napoli by falling 2-1 at Real Madrid in the Champions League, while Udinese arrive after Monday's home defeat to Lazio and remain dangerous on transitions but short of several creative players.

Udinese's early season has been mixed: they opened with a draw against Como, produced an away win at Monza in the game listed as 3-2 from the visitors' perspective, then were edged 1-2 by Lazio despite taking the lead. The Bianconeri's 2026/27 squad still leans on Maduka Okoye in goal, Sandi Lovric and Oier Zarraga in midfield, Idrissa Gueye's experience, Keinan Davis' physicality and the fit-again hopes around Nicolo Zaniolo, but Zaniolo, Giorgi Chakvetadze, Alessandro Zanoli and Matteo Palma are currently listed among the unavailable players.

Torino host AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Monday, 14 September 2026 (18:30 CEST) in one of the standout fixtures of the 2026/2027 Serie A season. The Granata, sitting 14th after an inconsistent start, welcome a Roma side that has been nothing short of spectacular under Gian Piero Gasperini, with the Giallorossi currently top of the table after three rounds. Roma have won their opening league games in emphatic fashion, while Torino have managed just one victory in their first three outings, and the form book strongly favors the visitors in this Turin showdown.

Torino's early-season campaign has been a mixed bag. Fabio Grosso's men bounced back from defeat with a brilliant away win at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, edging 1-2 against Fiorentina on 5 September thanks to second-half strikes from Che Adams and Rolando Mandragora. That result followed a painful home setback in the Coppa Italia, where Torino crashed out to newly promoted Monza by a 0-1 scoreline, and a 2-1 league defeat at Sassuolo in late August. Deadline-day arrivals Daniel Bragança, Nathan Patterson and Rafik Belghali are still settling in, and with Duván Zapata and Giovanni Simeone leading the line, Torino will need far more cutting edge than they showed against Monza if they are to trouble Roma's defense.

AC Monza host US Sassuolo at the U-Power Stadium on Friday, 18 September 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 20:45 CEST, in a Serie A 2026/27 fixture that pits two of the league's most intriguing projects against each other. Monza, back in the top flight after winning last season's Serie B promotion play-off, are managed by Ivan Jurić and captained by Matteo Pessina, but the Brianzoli remain deep in the relegation zone after a difficult start to their return campaign. Their latest outing ended in a dramatic five-goal defeat at Via del Mare, 3-2 against Lecce, a result that extended their search for consistency at both ends of the pitch. Sassuolo, meanwhile, arrive in Lombardy full of confidence under new head coach Alberto Aquilani, having stunned Juventus at the Mapei Stadium last weekend with a late 3-2 victory, with Domenico Berardi once again decisive off the bench.

The recent form of both sides tells contrasting stories. Monza's away trip to Emilia-Romagna produced a hard-earned point in a 1-1 draw with Parma, while Jurić's men had earlier edged Torino by a single goal on the road. However, defensive fragility has plagued the newly promoted side, and they will be without several key names for this clash: Ricardo Mangas, Jan Ziólkowski, Idrissa Touré, captain Matteo Pessina and Patrick Ciurria are all unavailable through injury, leaving Jurić to lean on the likes of Andrea Colpani, Michael Folorunsho, young Jay Robinson and striker Gustavo Varela in his trademark three-man defensive system. Sassuolo's road form has been resilient rather than spectacular, as shown by their 2-2 share of the spoils at Bologna, and Aquilani must plan without Edoardo Pieragnolo, Fali Candé, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Daniel Boloca, Ismaël Koné and Cristian Volpato. Even so, a spine of Arijanet Muric in goal, Jay Idzes and Nemanja Matić in defence and midfield, plus the ever-dangerous Berardi and Armand Laurienté, gives the Neroverdi clear pedigree in the final third.

AS Monaco welcome RC Lens to the Stade Louis-II on Friday 18 September 2026 (20:45 CEST) for a blockbuster Ligue 1 McDonald's Round 5 clash, and the early-season table already tells a compelling story. New boss Filipe Luís has made an unbeaten start to life on the Monaco bench, with the Rouge et Blanc sitting second on 10 points after grinding out a draw at Strasbourg in their last outing (1-1) and stunning Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes (1-2) earlier this month. That resilience underlines why the bookmakers price Monaco as clear favourites in European odds at around 2.19, with the draw near 3.40 and an away Lens win quoted at roughly 3.00.

Lens, meanwhile, arrive on the Mediterranean coast as one of the season's great curiosities. Dino Toppmöller's men lifted the Trophée des Champions by beating PSG 1-0 and thrashed Auxerre 5-2 on the opening day, yet back-to-back league defeats followed, including a shock home loss to Lorient (0-1). They did show tremendous character last weekend, twice coming from behind to snatch a point at Le Mans (2-2), and their midweek Champions League heroics — a stunning stoppage-time comeback win at Slavia Prague (2-3) — proved this squad never knows when it is beaten, even if the quick turnaround could test their legs.

AC Milan host Benfica at San Siro on Wednesday 16 September 2026 in a standout 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league-phase opener, with Rúben Amorim’s rebuilt Rossoneri taking on Marco Silva’s in-form Eagles in one of the round’s most tactical matchups. European odds have made Milan a narrow home favorite at about 2.18, the draw is close to 3.80, and Benfica are around 3.47, but the market price still undervalues Milan’s San Siro edge in a game our prediction settles at 2:1 for the Italian side.

Milan arrive unbeaten in Serie A after early-season tests, showing resilience in a 1-1 draw at Juventus and control in a 2-0 win over Venezia, with a 2026/2027 squad built around Mike Maignan in goal, Pervis Estupiñán, Strahinja Pavlović, Mario Gila and Koni De Winter across the back, Luka Modrić, Adrien Rabiot and Yunus Musah in midfield, and Christian Pulisic, Alexis Saelemaekers, Samuel Chukwueze and Gonçalo Ramos providing the decisive attacking thrust.

Anderlecht host Lyon at Lotto Park in the first matchday of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase, with both clubs looking to build on encouraging starts to their domestic campaigns. Vítor Bruno's Anderlecht arrive on the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win over KV Mechelen, sealed by Tawfik Bentayeb's second-half strike at Achter De Kazerne — a narrow victory that kept the Brussels club in the mix near the top of the Belgian Pro League. The Purple & White will lean on their 2026/27 core, including goalkeeper Colin Coosemans, defenders Giulian Biancone and Léo Pétrot, and the attacking pairing of Danylo Sikan and Oliver Antman, although Killian Sardella, Ilay Camara and Lucas Hey remain sidelined through injury. Our full breakdown of that trip to Mechelen is available in the 0-1 match prediction.

Lyon, meanwhile, have begun their Ligue 1 season with real intent under their current European campaign. The French outfit brushed aside Auxerre in a 3-1 home win at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, a match in which their front line repeatedly cut through the visitors' defence, while keeping the memory of a scrappy draw against Le Havre fresh — a game in which a dramatic late equaliser rescued a point after a VAR-dominated finish. Detailed analysis of those results can be found in the 3-1 and 1-1 predictions, and the French side also opened their league campaign in perfect fashion by winning 2-0 away at Toulouse — see the 0-2 match preview for the full story.

Bayer Leverkusen open their 2026/27 UEFA Europa League campaign on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, when Slovenian champions Celje visit the BayArena for Matchday 1 of the league phase. Leverkusen qualified directly after finishing sixth in the Bundesliga last season, while Celje arrive via the Champions League play-off route, dropping into the Europa League after their epic tie with Slovan Bratislava and making their debut in the competition proper. The German side are heavy favourites in the European odds at around 1.25 for the home win, with the draw priced near 6.50 and a famous Celje victory quoted as high as 11.00.

Leverkusen come into the tie in excellent attacking form under their new-look 2026/27 squad. They crushed Union Berlin 4:0 in the Bundesliga on 5 September, just days after surviving a DFB-Pokal thriller at Wehen 0:4 away from home. New signings such as goalkeeper Mark Flekken, defender Facundo Medina, winger Afonso Moreira and youngsters Ibrahim Maza and Malik Tillman have slotted in quickly alongside holdovers Edmond Tapsoba, Aleix García and Patrik Schick, with Miguel Gutiérrez already starring from left-back.

Olympiacos Piraeus open their 2026/2027 UEFA Europa League campaign on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, when they welcome Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus for Matchday 1 of the league phase. Kick-off is scheduled for 22:00 local time, and the clash marks the first-ever competitive meeting between the two clubs. The Greek giants dropped into the Europa League after falling to NEC Nijmegen in the Champions League qualifiers, while Jagiellonia arrive in Piraeus as one of the Ekstraklasa's most in-form teams, averaging over three goals per game across their recent fixtures.

Olympiacos head into the fixture with plenty of momentum under coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, having dismantled AEL Larissa 0-4 in the Greek Cup on 2 September before grinding out results in the Super League against Asteras Tripolis and Volos. The 2026/2027 squad has been reshaped with president Evangelos Marinakis targeting a deep run in the competition, and the headline summer arrival is Mexican forward Armando "La Hormiga" Gonzalez from Chivas de Guadalajara, whose signing is expected to add firepower alongside Roman Yaremchuk. Defensively, the Piraeus side have conceded just once in their last three domestic outings, a foundation Mendilibar will look to keep intact after last season's setbacks, including the 0-2 home defeat to PAOK in January that served as a wake-up call for the project.

Omonia host Celta Vigo at the GSP Stadium on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, in the opening round of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. Kick-off is scheduled for 16:45 UTC, with Celta arriving as the favourites in the European odds at 1.96, compared with 3.60 for the draw and 4.28 for an Omonia victory. Both teams are searching for an early lift after inconsistent starts to the new campaign, and the first competitive meeting between the Cypriot and Spanish sides promises a tense tactical battle in Nicosia.

Omonia's preparations have produced contrasting results: Henning Berg's side produced an emphatic away victory over Aris Limassol, finishing 1-4, before losing the Cypriot Super Cup 1-0 to Pafos and drawing 0-0 with Omonia Aradippou. They had previously beaten the same opponent 3-1 in the league, while their recent European displays included a 4-2 home win over Sint-Truiden and a 1-0 away defeat. Celta Vigo remain winless in La Liga after following a 2-0 home loss to Athletic Club with 0-0 at Real Sociedad and 1-1 away to Getafe, leaving Claudio Giráldez under pressure to convert possession into goals.

Sturm Graz host Stade Rennais at the Merkur Arena in Graz on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, as the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase gets underway. It is a first-ever competitive meeting between the Austrian and French clubs, and both arrive with something to prove: Sturm are looking to bounce back from their Champions League playoff defeat to Fenerbahçe, while Rennes begin their European campaign on the back of their best Ligue 1 start in six years, unbeaten through their opening three league matches. The latest team news favors the visitors, as Sturm are without goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov, playmaker Otar Kiteishvili, forward Leon Grgić and midfielder Filip Rózga through injury, whereas Franck Haise reports a fully fit Rennes squad for the trip to Austria.

Rennes head into this fixture in confident mood after edging Marseille 1-0 at Roazhon Park last Friday, a result that followed their hard-fought away win at Angers by 2-1 and their dramatic late victory over Le Mans by 3-2. Sturm's domestic form has been more erratic — a 4-1 ÖFB Cup win over Voitsberg was sandwiched between a 3-1 league defeat at Rapid Wien and a 1-1 draw with Austria Lustenau. The European odds (1X2) reflect the French side's momentum: Sturm Graz are priced at 3.50, the draw at 3.75, and an away Rennes win at 2.02, making the visitors clear favorites despite playing on the road in Graz.

Sunderland welcome AZ Alkmaar to the Stadium of Light on Wednesday 16 September 2026 (20:00 BST) for their UEFA Europa League league phase opener — one of the most eagerly anticipated European nights on Wearside in years. The Black Cats, coached by Régis Le Bris, begin their first Europa League campaign in front of a sell-out home crowd, while the visitors from the Netherlands arrive as one of the Eredivisie's most dangerous attacking sides despite seeing their perfect start to the season end just days before this trip to England.

Sunderland's recent form underlines their growing resilience: they ground out a 1-0 win over Hull City in the Carabao Cup third round, with Chemsdine Talbi's second-half strike settling the tie, and followed a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Brentford — where Enzo Le Fée converted a late penalty — by beating Fulham 1-0 at home in the Premier League. Their 2026/27 squad blends youth and experience: Le Fée dictates play in midfield, captain Luke O'Nien leads by example, Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete anchor a compact defence, young keeper Melker Ellborg has made the gloves his own, and Wilson Isidor, Chris Rigg and Nazariy Rusyn provide the attacking thrust.

Beşiktaş vs Marseille in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League is set for Tüpraş Stadyumu on 17 September 2026, a meeting between Vincenzo Italiano’s rebuilt Beşiktaş and Bruno Génésio’s new Marseille. The Turkish side’s 2026/27 core is built around Alexander Nübel, Amir Murillo, Emmanuel Agbadou, Emirhan Topçu, Rıdvan Yılmaz, Salih Özcan, Wilfred Ndidi, Orkun Kökçü, Leandro Trossard, Václav Černý and Dušan Vlahović, with Milot Rashica, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Semih Kılıçsoy adding pace around the striker. Marseille’s 2026/27 group under Génésio leans on Jeffrey De Lange/Thomas Vermot in goal, Derek Cornelius, Nayef Aguerd, Bamo Meïté, Ulisses García and Emerson in defence, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Tochukwu Nnadi, Ángel Gomes, Himad Abdelli and Timothy Weah through midfield, plus Amine Gouiri, Neal Maupay, Igor Paixão and Faris Moumbagna in attack.

Latest form slightly favours Beşiktaş at home: they arrive after statement domestic results such as 1-2 away to Fenerbahçe in the cup and 6-2 against Çorum FK, though the 1-0 Europa League loss at Žalgiris showed Italiano still wants more control in Europe. Marseille have had a bumpier start under Génésio, losing 1-0 at Rennes after the painful 2-3 home defeat by Paris FC and a 2-0 loss at Monaco, so defensive transitions and set-piece concentration are the big questions before Istanbul.

Celtic open their 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase at Celtic Park on Thursday 17 September 2026 against Ferencvaros, with kick-off at 20:00 local time, and Martin O’Neill’s side arrive with momentum after a perfect domestic start: a 3-0 home win over Aberdeen, a comeback 1-2 victory away to St Mirren and a narrow 0-1 success at St Johnstone, leaving them top of the Scottish Premiership with five wins from five. Ferencvaros’ route to Glasgow has been more continental, squeezing past Twente, Górnik Zabrze and Trabzonspor in qualifying, including a 4-0 play-off second-leg win, but their league form has been patchier, most recently a 2-2 draw with Újpest.

The European odds make Celtic clear favourites for this reunion, with a typical 1X2 line around 1.80 for a home win, 3.80 for the draw and 4.00 or bigger for Ferencvaros, while over 2.5 goals and both teams to score are both strongly supported by the market. The head-to-head also leans Celtic’s way from the sides’ 2020 and 2021 meetings, but Ferencvaros have enough pace in transition to make this uncomfortable if Celtic’s full-backs push too high. Our prediction is Celtic 3 : 1 Ferencvaros: the Scottish champions’ early-season rhythm, set-piece threat and attacking depth should eventually overwhelm the visitors, even if Ferencvaros find one breakthrough.

Crystal Palace return to European competition at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 17 September 2026 (20:00 BST) as they host Polish champions Lech Poznań in Matchday 1 of the UEFA Europa League league phase. Pierre Sage's side qualified automatically for the league phase after lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy last May, and the Eagles will be desperate to open their Group stage campaign with a win in front of a packed 25,194-strong home crowd. This will be the first-ever competitive meeting between the two clubs, with Palace drawn to face Lech at home alongside TSG Hoffenheim, Real Sociedad and Sparta Prague, while their away fixtures take them to Lyon, Beşiktaş, Jagiellonia Białystok and Red Bull Salzburg.

The betting markets make Crystal Palace clear favourites with European odds sitting around 1.45 for a home win, 4.90 for the draw and as high as 7.00–8.00 for a Lech Poznań victory, while both teams to score is priced near evens (1.91) and over 2.5 goals at 1.85. Palace's form has been mixed to start the 2026/27 Premier League season — they followed defeats to Everton and Manchester City with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win at Fulham, before crashing out of emotional contention in a dramatic 2-3 home defeat to Ipswich Town on Saturday, where Axel Disasi's red card proved costly. Their one bright spot came in midweek, a comfortable 3-0 EFL Cup victory over Middlesbrough, with Jørgen Strand Larsen netting a brace.

Juventus host NEC Nijmegen at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Thursday, 17 September 2026 (19:00 UTC) in a UEFA Europa League 2026/27 league phase opener, and the Italian giants arrive with an unbeaten start to the new season. Luciano Spalletti's men were held to a 1-1 draw by AC Milan at the weekend after kicking off their Serie A campaign with a 2-0 home win over Parma and a 1-0 away victory at Frosinone, conceding just one league goal in three matches.

The contrast in form could hardly be sharper. Nijmegen's high-scoring but defensively fragile Eredivisie campaign continued with a dramatic 2-2 home draw against Excelsior, a match in which they needed a 90+1' Nathan Lebreton equaliser to salvage a point, and they are conceding over two goals per game. Their away form offers slightly more hope, having won 3-1 at PEC Zwolle in late August, but heavy qualifying defeats to Bodø/Glimt (3-0 and 1-3) exposed real problems against organised European opposition.

Levski Sofia host Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday, 17 September 2026 at Vivacom Arena Georgi Asparuhov in the UEFA Europa League league phase, and both sides arrive with plenty to prove. The Blues are still smarting from their 2-4 defeat to arch-rivals CSKA Sofia in the Bulgarian Super Cup, though they responded with a hard-fought 2-1 away win at Slavia Sofia and a 1-0 league victory over CSKA 1948. Austrian giants Salzburg, meanwhile, come into the tie as slight favourites on European odds of around 2.20, with the draw at roughly 3.40 and a Levski win near 2.90.

Levski's domestic form has been otherwise excellent, highlighted by a 6-0 thrashing of Spartak Varna and a comfortable win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv, but their 0-4 Champions League qualifying loss at AEK Athens exposed defensive vulnerabilities against quicker continental attacks. Salzburg, regulars in European competition, are dealing with several injury concerns of their own, with Johannes Moser, Gaoussou Diakité and Soumaïla Diabaté all ruled out, while Levski report no unavailable players for the 2026/27 season squad. The Austrians' high pressing will test a home back line built around Plamen Hristov, Anthony Centelles and Carlos Makoun.

Lillestrom host Torreense at Åråsen Stadion on Thursday 17 September 2026, kicking off at 19:00 UTC in a UEFA Europa League league-phase opener that is new territory for both clubs: Lillestrom are back in Europe after edging Egnatia in the play-off round, while Torreense are tasting major UEFA competition for the first time and arrive after a narrow 1-0 Portuguese Super Cup loss to Porto.

Form says Lillestrom must be sharper than in their late-spring wobbles, when they slipped to 2-0 at HamKam and 1-2 at home to Kristiansund, but their European tie against Egnatia showed resilience; Torreense’s build-up has been steadier in Liga Portugal 2, drawing 0-0 with Leixoes and 2-2 with Penafiel.

OFI Crete host TSG Hoffenheim at Pankritio Stadio on Thursday 17 September 2026 in a 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league-phase opener that pairs the Greek Cup holders with Christian Ilzer's Bundesliga side. European odds make Hoffenheim the clear favourite at about 1.49, with the draw near 4.60 and OFI around 6.00, but the Cretans arrive with momentum after their Greek Cup run and a 0-0 away stalemate against PAOK in the cup.

Hoffenheim's latest news is mixed but trending upward: after narrow 3-2 and 2-3 defeats to Köln and Borussia Dortmund, they responded by edging Stuttgart 2-1 on 12 September. That late win matters because Ilzer had seen his team lead at half-time in both previous Bundesliga losses, so game management remains the key storyline before travelling to Heraklion.

FC Viktoria Plzeň host Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a UEFA Europa League 2026/27 league phase clash on Thursday, 17 September 2026 at the Doosan Arena (Štruncovy sady) in Plzeň, with kick-off at 21:00 local time. It is the first ever competitive meeting between the Czech and Belgian sides, and both arrive with momentum: Plzeň impressed in European qualifying, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit to beat Crvena zvezda 5-1 at home, while Union SG lifted their second Belgian Super Cup this summer. The bookmakers make Plzeň the slight favourites at 2.45, the draw is priced at 3.50, and an away win for the Brussels club sits at 3.60, underlining how tight this opening league phase fixture promises to be.

Plzeň's 2026/27 squad has been reshaped smartly by sporting management, with around €7.5M invested in young talent. Centre-forward Baboucarr Faal arrived from Karpaty Lviv for €3M, midfielder Stefan Pirgic joined from Železničar Pančevo for the same fee, and centre-back Filip Prebsl came over from Karviná, with Sebastian Boháč adding depth in midfield. Martin Jedlička has returned from loan, and the spine of the side remains built on goalkeeper Viktor Baier, defenders Sampson Dweh and Jan Paluska, veteran midfielder Patrik Hrošovský, plus attacking outlets Lukáš Červ, Amar Memić and Mohamed Touré, with Matěj Vydra providing experience up front. Recent results show a resilient side that grinds out results, as in the 0-0 league draw away at Hradec Králové earlier in September, and their defensive discipline was already evident last season in the 0-0 stalemate away to champions Sparta Prague in May.

Real Sociedad welcome AFC Bournemouth to the Reale Arena on Thursday, 17 September 2026, as the two sides open their 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league-phase campaigns in San Sebastián. The hosts, Copa del Rey holders under Pellegrino Matarazzo, are slight favourites in the European odds ahead of kick-off, with the bookmakers pricing a Real Sociedad win at around 2.60, the draw at 3.40, and an away victory for Bournemouth at roughly 2.70 – margins that underline just how tight this opening fixture promises to be.

Real Sociedad arrive with mixed domestic form, having battled to a 3-2 away win at Elche, followed by a goalless 0-0 draw at home to Celta Vigo and a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Espanyol. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have looked sharp in England, cruising past Lincoln City 4-0 in the Carabao Cup and earning a 2-2 draw at Newcastle, and the Cherries will fancy their chances of exposing a Sociedad back line that has been inconsistent against pace.