UEFA Europa League preview: What to look out for on Matchday 3
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Article summary
José Mourinho is up against one of his old clubs in Istanbul, while Spurs and Lazio are among the sides looking to make it to nine points on UEFA Europa League Matchday 3.
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Manchester United are up against former boss José Mourinho as Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League takes them to Fenerbahçe, while Tottenham and Lazio are aiming to maintain a 100% start.
All kick-off times 21:00 CET unless stated
Wednesday 23 October
Galatasaray vs Elfsborg (16:30)
Braga vs Bodø/Glimt (16:30)
Thursday 24 October
Roma vs Dynamo Kyiv (18:45)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs RFS (18:45)
Midtjylland vs Union SG (18:45)
Ferencváros vs Nice (18:45)
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Real Sociedad (18:45)
PAOK vs Viktoria Plzeň (18:45)
Qarabağ vs Ajax (18:45)
Athletic Club vs Slavia Praha
Porto vs Hoffenheim
Twente vs Lazio
Fenerbahçe vs Manchester United
Malmö vs Olympiacos
Lyon vs Beşiktaş
Rangers vs FCSB
Anderlecht vs Ludogorets
Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar
Standout fixtures
Fenerbahçe vs Manchester United
José Mourinho brings drama everywhere he goes, and the new Fenerbahçe boss will look to make the right kind of headlines on the pitch as his Yellow Canaries take on the side he led from 2016 to 2018, winning the Europa League in 2016/17.
"I did my job there," the Portuguese coach said earlier this year. "I would love Manchester United to succeed." He will doubtless be hoping that Erik ten Hag's unpredictable side have an off night in Istanbul, though.
Did you know?
Fenerbahçe have won their last two home games against United: 3-0 in the Champions League in 2004/05 and 2-1 (against Mourinho's Red Devils) in the 2016/17 Europa League.
Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar
"There’s no denying our football is progressing, and part of that is resilience," said manager Ange Postecoglou after his youthful Spurs side secured a second league phase win on Matchday 2, and they will be looking to maintain that run as AZ head to London.
The Alkmaar side, meanwhile, will aim to break an unhappy run. They have lost all eight of their games in England, most famously a 3-0 loss at Ipswich in the first leg of the 1980/81 UEFA Cup final.
Did you know?
Spurs' Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven was clocked at running 37.12km/h in a recent domestic game, the fastest sprint in the Premier League this season.
"If we continue to play like this, we can win many more games," said Lazio midfielder Matteo Guendouzi after their 4-1 win against Nice on Matchday 2, a result that left them top of the nascent league phase standings with an impressive +6 goal difference.
However, the Italian side will not have an easy ride in Enschede; Twente have just two points so far, but those have come in draws against two of the competitions top contenders, Manchester United and Mourinho's Fenerbahçe.
Did you know?
Twente have drawn their last three games in Europe this season, and while they have yet to lose at home to Serie A opponents, three of those four encounters ended level.
Back in Europe after a two-season absence, Lyon are enjoying Europa League life under coach Pierre Sage, following up a 2-0 defeat of Olympiacos on Matchday 1 with a terrific 4-1 win at Rangers last time out, Alexandre Lacazette and Malick Fofana both scoring twice in Glasgow.
Their next challenge brings back memories of their journey to the 2016/17 Europa League semis. They traded 2-1 home wins with the Black Eagles with the tie eventually decided on penalties, Lyon winning the shoot-out 7-6 in Istanbul.
Did you know?
Beşiktaş ended a run of four straight defeats on French soil when they won 2-1 at Monaco in their most recent visit, in the 2017/18 Champions League.
Plus
- Only five sides have six points going into Matchday 3: Lazio, Lyon, Anderlecht and Spurs plus Romania's FCSB. Coach Elias Charalambous said a 1-0 success at PAOK on Matchday 2 was "one of the biggest wins" of his career. Would victory at Rangers be even better?
- Porto's Samu is the top scorer in the Europa League so far this season, but his three goals have only brought his side one point. The Dragons will hope that his luck improves as they welcome Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.
- Bilbao is the location for this season's final, and local side Athletic Club have made a positive start in the league phase, taking four points from meetings with Roma and AZ. They will look to add three more as they welcome Slavia Praha.