Who Could Win the UEFA Europa League?

Beşiktaş host Crystal Palace at Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul on Thursday, 22 October 2026, in one of the standout fixtures of Matchday 3 in the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 league phase. The Turkish giants arrive full of confidence after a stunning away victory at Hoffenheim, winning 2-3 in Sinsheim on Matchday 2, with Hyeon-gyu Oh scoring twice to silence the German crowd. Palace, by contrast, suffered a narrow defeat in France, going down 3-2 to Lyon despite a late rally, and they now face a daunting trip to one of Europe's most intimidating atmospheres. Both clubs are loaded with quality in the 2026/27 campaign: Beşiktaş have built their squad around Alexander Nübel in goal, a back line of Amir Murillo, Emmanuel Agbadou, Emirhan Topçu and Kassoum Ouattara, and a midfield engine of Wilfred Ndidi and Orkun Kökcü, while Leandro Trossard and Junior Olaïtan supply the creativity behind Oh. Crystal Palace counter with Walter Benítez between the posts, Chris Richards and Tyrick Mitchell anchoring the defense, and Adam Wharton, Yéremy Pino and Daichi Kamada driving the attack, although Jean-Philippe Mateta (hamstring) and Dean Henderson (foot) remain major doubts after missing the Lyon trip.

Form strongly favors the home side. Beşiktaş are riding a wave of momentum across all competitions, having hammered Marseille 4-1 on Matchday 1 of this competition and even edged the Istanbul derby away to Fenerbahçe 1-2 in a result that underlined their big-game pedigree. Palace's away record in Europe remains a work in progress, and their defensive numbers on the road have been shaky, conceding freely against Lyon after also struggling to close out games in the Premier League. The only prior meeting between these clubs came in a 2023 friendly that Palace won, but competitive football in front of a sold-out Vodafone Arena is a completely different proposition, and Oliver Glasner's men will need to be far more compact than they were at the Groupama Stadium if they are to leave Istanbul with anything.

Bournemouth host AC Milan at Vitality Stadium on Thursday 22 October 2026 in a 2026/27 Europa League league-phase tie that pits Marco Rose’s perfect-start Cherries against Rúben Amorim’s seven-time European champions. Bournemouth are fifth after wins at Real Sociedad and 3-0 over Sturm Graz, while Milan rebounded from a 2-0 home defeat by Benfica with a 0-4 win at Salzburg; Milan also hold a 1-0 edge in the only previous meeting between the clubs.

Rose’s 2026/27 squad is built around Đorđe Petrović; Adam Smith, James Hill, António Silva and Adrien Truffert; Tyler Adams, Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie; David Brooks, Rayan and Marcus Tavernier behind Evanilson, with Justin Kluivert, Amine Adli, Álvaro Rodríguez and Daniel Jebbison pushing for minutes. Adli and Kluivert have returned to the squad after injury problems, though Bournemouth still have a quick Premier League turnaround against Sunderland on 18 October; Milan’s 2026/27 group includes Mike Maignan, Fikayo Tomori, Strahinja Pavlović, Pervis Estupiñan, Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modrić, Christian Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze and Gonçalo Ramos, with Matteo Gabbia and Alexis Saelemaekers the main injury worries.

Celje host Red Bull Salzburg in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase on 22 October 2026, and the latest form lines point to a severe test for the Slovenian champions: they were beaten 0–3 by Omonia last time out after also losing 2–0 at Bayer Leverkusen, while Salzburg arrive off a 0–4 home defeat by Milan but with a 0–1 win at Levski Sofia already banked in Europe. The table underlines the gap: Salzburg sit on three points despite the Milan setback, whereas Celje are still searching for their first league-phase goal and point.

For 2026/27, Celje’s Europa League group is built around goalkeepers Žan-Luk Leban, Luka Kolar, Simon Sluga and Žiga Frelih, a defensive line featuring Žan Žužek, Darko Hrka, Leonardo Koutris, Lukasz Bejger, Damjan Vuklišević and Ivan Calušic, midfield energy from Mario Kvesić, Rudi Vancaš and Svit Sešlar, and attacking options such as Benjamin Verbič, Blaž Kramer, Milot Avdyli and Yaya Dukuly. Salzburg’s travelling party should be treated as the stronger, deeper Europa League roster, with their squad list the key reference for the final matchday selection and Celje needing compact spacing to stop the visitors’ transitions after conceding five across the opening two rounds.

Celtic welcome Celta Vigo to Celtic Park on Thursday, 22 October 2026 (20:00 GMT) for a pivotal UEFA Europa League league phase Matchday 3 clash, and both sides arrive in Glasgow desperate to bounce back from European defeats just seven days ago. Martin O'Neill's Celtic were outclassed in Lisbon, suffering a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Benfica at the Estádio da Luz, where Jhon Durán's early penalty set the tone and Vangelis Pavlidis added a late fourth. Celta Vigo, meanwhile, were left heartbroken at Balaídos after Hugo Álvarez's opening goal was overturned in a 1-2 home defeat to Juventus, decided by Randal Kolo Muani's stoppage-time winner. The latest news from both camps suggests a tense evening in the East End of Glasgow: Celta are chasing their first win of this Europa League campaign and have openly targeted this trip to Scotland, while Celtic know that a second successive home defeat in Europe would leave their knockout hopes hanging by a thread before the October fixtures are even complete.

Recent form paints a contrasting picture for the two squads assembled for the 2026/27 season. Celtic's domestic campaign remains strong despite the European setback — they returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 2-0 win at Motherwell — but their record against serious opposition is a concern, having also fallen 0-1 to Rangers at Celtic Park in September's Old Firm derby. O'Neill's squad for this season features Viljami Sinisalo in goal, with Kasper Høgh, Camilo Durán, Benjamin Nygren, Haissem Hassan, Mika Baur and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain providing the attacking thrust. Celta Vigo arrive in far steadier shape: Claudio Giráldez's LaLiga outfit are sitting comfortably in the top half of the Spanish table and are unbeaten in the league since late September, grinding out a goalless 0-0 away to Elche before the international break. The Galicians' 2026/27 squad is built around evergreen captain Iago Aspas, creative duo Hugo Álvarez and Williot Swedberg, striker F. Jutgla, and goalkeeper Ionut Radu, with Martim Neto anchoring the midfield.

Ferencvaros host Torreense at Groupama Arena on Thursday 22 October 2026 in a 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league-phase match that already looks heavily tilted toward the Hungarian side. Latest European odds are around 1.40 for Ferencvaros, 5.70 for the draw and 9.00 for Torreense, with the favourite arriving after 2-1 against Viktoria Plzen and 1-3 at Celtic.

Ferencvaros' 2026/2027 squad depth is the main story: Dénes Dibusz, Endre Botka, Ádám Osváth, Muhamed Bero, Cadu, Barnabás Varga, Kristoffer Zachariassen, Kady Lisztes, Veljko Birmancevic and Naby Keïta give the home team top-end League Phase experience. Zachariassen is already among the competition's leading scorers with three goals, while Torreense's European debut squad leans on Luiz Paes, Stopira, Volnei, Costinha, Daniel Arzani, Jordan Levi and Majeed Abubakari.

TSG Hoffenheim welcome Olympique Lyonnais to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena on Thursday, 22 October 2026 (21:00 CEST) for Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. The Sinsheim side are under real pressure after an inconsistent start to their European campaign, most recently falling short in a five-goal thriller at home, which you can revisit in our 2-3 match review against Beşiktaş. Lyon, meanwhile, arrive full of confidence after edging past Crystal Palace in a dramatic 3-2 home win last Thursday, a result that kept them unbeaten in the league phase following their 2-1 victory away to Anderlecht in September. With the French club chasing a top-eight finish and Hoffenheim needing points to climb off the bottom of the standings, this fixture has serious knockout-stage implications for both squads.

Hoffenheim's 2026/27 squad is built around experienced heads and emerging talent: Oliver Baumann anchors the goal, Vladimír Coufal and Ozan Kabak marshal the defence, while Adam Hložek and Adam Daghim lead the attack, both already scoring twice in Europe this season. The German side will look to lean on their high-possession, high-pressing style at home, where they typically dominate the ball. Lyon's revamped 2026/27 roster, featuring Dominik Greif in goal, a defence of Zachary Athekame, Moussa Niakhaté and Abner, a creative midfield trio of Corentin Tolisso, Pavel Šulc and Tyler Morton, and a dynamic front line with Ernest Nuamah, Loïs Openda and Keito Nakamura, offers pace and technical quality in abundance. Tolisso's opening goal against Palace and Šulc's late winner underline how dangerous Lyon are in the final third.

Jagiellonia Białystok host Anderlecht at Białystok City Stadium on 22 October 2026 in a UEFA Europa League league-phase matchday 3 tie that already carries pressure for the visitors. Jagiellonia come in off a confidence-boosting 3-1 win over Ararat-Armenia, but their European away form was exposed in the 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos; after two league-phase games they have three points, while Anderlecht arrive on zero points despite a talented 2026/2027 roster.

Anderlecht’s latest continental outing was a narrow 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb, following the home 1-2 setback against Lyon, so their Belgium results have looked better than their Europa League start. The Polish side’s core 2026/2027 group includes Sławomir Abramowicz or Michał Perchel in goal, R. Conceicao, B. Vital, Y. Kobayashi, B. Wdowik, F. Klynge, T. Romanczuk, Jesús Imaz Ballesté, K. Jóźwiak, O. Sow and K. Szmyt; Anderlecht’s squad list is built around Colin Coosemans/Justin Heekeren, Ali Maamar, Andrew Omobamidele, Léo Pétrot, Ludwig Augustinsson, Zoumana Keita, Lukas Ambros, Enric Llansana, Marco Kana, Romeo Amane, Thelo Aasgaard, Marten Winkler, Danylo Sikan, Mihajlo Cvetkovic and Oliver Antman.

Juventus will host Rennes at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Thursday, 22 October 2026, kicking off at 18:45 CET, in one of the standout fixtures of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. Luciano Spalletti's Bianconeri are flying high in Europe after a perfect start to their campaign, and they will be firm favourites with the European odds priced at around 1.55 for a home win, 4.20 for the draw, and 6.00 for a Rennes victory. Juventus arrive in excellent shape following their hard-fought 1-2 away win over Celta Vigo in Vigo last Thursday, a result that kept them top of the league phase standings with maximum points from their opening two matches.

Rennes, meanwhile, are enjoying a solid 2026/27 campaign of their own under their own dugout, and they travel to Turin full of confidence after edging past OFI Crete by 2-1 at Roazhon Park in their last Europa League outing, having fallen behind early before completing a spirited comeback. However, the Breton side have shown some defensive fragility away from home, most notably in their heavy 0-4 defeat at Lyon in Ligue 1, and keeping out a Juventus attack that has already scored seven goals in two Europa League matches will be a monumental task for Brice Samba and his back line.

Lech Poznań host Sunderland at the Enea Stadion on Thursday 22 October 2026 in a UEFA Europa League league phase match that could hardly be more one-sided on paper. The Polish champions have endured a nightmare start to their European campaign, sitting 36th in the table with zero points and a goal difference of -8 after heavy defeats at home to German giants Bayer Leverkusen (0-4) and away to Crystal Palace (4-0). Sunderland, by contrast, have won both of their Europa League fixtures so far, including a hard-fought victory in Portugal against Torreense (2-1), and arrive in Poznań full of confidence despite a recent domestic setback against Brighton (0-2).

The squads for the 2026/27 season underline the gulf in resources between the two clubs: Sunderland's roster is valued at over €458 million, nearly eight times Lech's €57.5 million squad. Niels Frederiksen's Lech side is built around Mateusz Lis in goal, a back line of Joel Pereira, Wojciech Mońka, Mateusz Skrzypczak and Michał Gurgul, a midfield featuring Gustav Berggren, Antoni Kozubal, Luis Palma and Patrik Wålemark, with captain Mikael Ishak and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh leading the attack. Régis Le Bris can call on Robin Roefs between the posts, Kevin Danso and Daniel Ballard in central defence, Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fée pulling the strings in midfield, and the potent forward trio of Brian Brobbey, Wilson Isidor and Nilson Angulo.

Lillestrom welcome Real Sociedad to Åråsen Stadion on Thursday, 22 October 2026, in what promises to be a pivotal UEFA Europa League 2026/27 league phase fixture. This is Matchday 3 of the new-format competition, and remarkably both sides arrive in identical shape: each has collected just one point from their opening two matches, sitting level in the lower half of the 36-team table with a 0-1-1 record and a minus-one goal difference. For newly promoted Norwegian side Lillestrom, this European campaign is already a historic one as their debut at this level, while Spanish Cup winners Real Sociedad arrived in Norway as clear Pot 1 favourites and know anything less than a win would leave their European season hanging by a thread.

Lillestrom's latest results underline how tough life has been against continental opposition. They opened their campaign with a painful home defeat, going down 1-2 to Portuguese newcomers Torreense at Åråsen on 17 September, a result you can revisit in our 1-2 match report. They showed considerable resilience on Matchday 2, however, battling to a creditable 1-1 draw away to Czech giants Sparta Prague, with veteran striker Thomas Lehne Olsen scoring a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser. Manager Andersson's 2026/27 squad relies on goalkeeper Pontus Dahlberg behind a defence featuring Ruben Gabrielsen and Lars Ranger, a hard-working midfield led by Filip Ottosson and Ylldren Ibrahimaj, and an attack built around Lehne Olsen, Fredrik Gulbrandsen, Gustav Nyheim and the Angolan forward Va.

OFI Crete welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion on Thursday, October 22, 2026, for a highly anticipated UEFA Europa League 2026/27 league phase fixture. The Cretans have been one of the surprise packages of this season's competition, opening with a famous 2-0 home win over Hoffenheim before pushing Stade Rennais all the way in a narrow 2-1 defeat in France, where Taxiarchis Fountas' early header briefly put the Greeks ahead. Leverkusen, by contrast, have been flawless in Europe so far, sitting joint-top of the table after following up a 2-0 home win over Celje with a ruthless 4-0 demolition of Lech Poznan in Poland.

Carles Martínez's rebuilt Leverkusen squad for the 2026/27 season has hit the ground running, and their recent form underlines why the bookmakers price an away win at just 1.33 in European odds, with the draw at 5.25 and an OFI home victory as high as 8.50. The Germans survived a Bundesliga thriller at the weekend, edging Mainz 4-3 at the MEWA Arena thanks to goals from Robert Andrich, Patrik Schick, Jarell Quansah and Moussa Diaby in the 3-4 scoreline, while their European away day was far more serene — a Patrik Schick brace and strikes from Malik Tillman and Ibrahim Maza sealing the 0-4 rout in Poznan. Leverkusen's trip to Crete comes off the back of that commanding 2-0 opening-night win over Celje, and with six goals scored and none conceded in two UEL matches, they arrive in Heraklion as clear favourites.

Olympiacos Piraeus host Sparta Prague at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday 22 October 2026 in a 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league-phase clash that already carries early momentum: the Greek side are perfect after two rounds following 2-1 against Jagiellonia and a statement 0-1 win at Marseille, while Sparta sit on four points after 1-1 with Lillestrom and an emphatic 1-4 victory at Ararat-Armenia.

The 2026/27 squad picture favours Olympiacos’ settled spine: Stefan Ortega in goal, Panagiotis Retsos and Lorenzo Pirola in central defence, Santiago Hezze and Gustavo Puerta screening, with Gelson Martins, Chiquinho and Jota Silva supplying Roman Yaremchuk; Sparta’s travelling group is built around Karel Hegyi, Patrik Kaderabek, Jan Zeleny, Korede Hoever, Radoslav Macek, Saidou Eneme, Jan Kuchta? no—use only verified names from context: Jesús Mercado, Jérémy Grimaldo, Matěj Vojta and Julián Alcocer, so the visitors will need compact lines and quick transitions to survive Piraeus.

As of 18 October 2026, Omonia vs Benfica is one of the standout UEFA Europa League league-phase fixtures on Thursday 22 October at GSP Stadium, Nicosia, because both teams have taken maximum points from two matches: Omonia beat Celta Vigo 1-0 and then won 0-3 away to Celje, while Benfica won 0-2 at AC Milan before sweeping Celtic 4-1. The latest team news points to Omonia managing without Carel Eiting and Fotis Kitsos, while Benfica’s main absences remain Jakub Kamiński and Enzo Barrenechea; the broader picture is that Benfica are being projected by Opta’s model as a top-finishing league-phase side, with Omonia still firmly in the knockout conversation.

Omonia’s 2026/27 Europa League squad is built around Thomas Kaminski in goal, a defence featuring Jure Balkovec, Senou Coulibaly, Loïc Négo and Fotis Kitsos when fit, and a creative attacking group that includes Florin Tănase, Muamer Tanković, Ewandro, Lois Diony, Jaden Montnor and Anderson Kakoullis. Their season has been efficient rather than dominant: they have conceded no goals in the league phase, survived Celta’s pressure with a late Balkovec winner, and were clinical in Slovenia despite Celje controlling possession, which suggests a compact mid-block, set-piece threat and quick transitions will be their route to staying level with Benfica.

Viktoria Plzeň welcome Levski Sofia to the Doosan Arena in Plzeň on Thursday, 22 October 2026 (21:00 CEST) for matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 league phase, in what is a must-win fixture for the Czech hosts. Plzeň have endured a difficult start to their European campaign, falling to a heavy 0-3 home defeat against Union Saint-Gilloise before a narrow 2-1 loss away at Ferencváros, where Denis Višinský's 90th-minute goal came too late to spark a comeback. Levski Sofia, meanwhile, dropped into the Europa League after a Champions League play-off exit to AEK Athens and have taken just one point from two rounds, losing 0-1 to Red Bull Salzburg at the Vasil Levski National Stadium before being pegged back in a 1-1 draw away to NEC Nijmegen. Both sides sit on the fringes of the league-phase table and know that defeat in Plzeň would leave them with a mountain to climb in the race for the top 24.

The betting markets make Plzeň the firm favourites in European (decimal) odds, with the home win priced around 1.80, the draw available near 3.90, and a Levski victory offered at roughly 4.50 — a reflection of the Bulgarians' struggles in Europe so far, even though Julio Velázquez's men are sitting top of the Bulgarian First League with 28 points from 10 matches. Levski's recent form has been mixed across competitions: after the 0-1 home defeat to Salzburg, they responded with a 2-0 league win at Cherno More, but their only European point so far came in that hard-fought draw in Nijmegen. Plzeň's domestic form has also been patchy — an 11th-place standing in the Chance Liga with just 13 points, punctuated by a 3-0 win over Mladá Boleslav — yet their European pedigree at the Doosan Arena remains a factor, and bookmakers clearly expect the hosts to assert themselves against a Levski side that has scored only once in two Europa League outings.

SK Sturm Graz host Olympique de Marseille on Thursday, 22 October 2026 at the Merkur Arena (UPC-Arena) in Graz, in what is a crucial UEFA Europa League league phase Matchday 3 clash between two sides still searching for their first win in the competition. Sturm Graz sit 26th with just one point from two matches, while Marseille are even deeper in trouble near the foot of the table with zero points and a -4 goal difference, making this a genuine six-pointer already. The European odds for the match currently price a Sturm Graz home win at 3.25, the draw at 3.60, and a Marseille away win at 2.56, with the French side still installed as favorites despite their disastrous start.

Sturm Graz's European campaign has been frustrating so far: they opened with a goalless home draw against Rennes in a 0-0 stalemate, before being swept aside in a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Matchday 2. Domestically, however, Christian Ilzer's men are in solid shape, beating LASK 2-1 and Austria Wien 2-0 in the Austrian Bundesliga. For the 2026/2027 season, Sturm's core squad features Dimitri Khudyakov in goal, a back line of Alexandar Malic, Joshua Quarshie, Petar Petrovic and Leandro Balbo, midfield anchored by Jon Gorenc-Stankovic alongside Jusuf Heil, Valentino Matoshi and Julian Hodl, with Sejamin Seidl and Besar Beganovic leading the attack, backed by dangerous options such as Ardon Jashari, Tochi Chukwuani and Otar Kiteishvili on the bench.