UEFA Europa League preview: What to look out for on Matchday 4

Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio are among the high-flyers as the league phase of the UEFA Europa League reaches its midway point, with Manchester United eager to end a run of draws on Matchday 4.

All kick-off times 21:00 CET unless stated

Wednesday 6 November

Beşiktaş vs Malmö (16:30)

Thursday 7 November

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Slavia Praha (18:45)
Bodø/Glimt vs Qarabağ (18:45)
FCSB vs Midtjylland (18:45)
Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur (18:45)
Elfsborg vs Braga (18:45)
Nice vs Twente (18:45)
Olympiacos vs Rangers (18:45)
Ludogorets vs Athletic Club (18:45)
Union SG vs Roma (18:45)
Ajax vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
AZ Alkmaar vs Fenerbahçe
Dynamo Kyiv vs Ferencváros
RFS vs Anderlecht
Viktoria Plzeň vs Real Sociedad
Manchester United vs PAOK
Lazio vs Porto
Hoffenheim vs Lyon

Standout fixtures

Galatasaray vs Tottenham Hotspur

Man United were in Istanbul on Matchday 3 to take on Fenerbahçe, and another Premier League giant is coming to the city on the banks of the Bosphorus as Spurs seek a fourth straight league phase victory. "We know we are going to meet a tough team in a tough stadium," defender Radu Drăgușin told UEFA.com. "But hopefully we can keep playing our football and get the win.”

Unbeaten after three games, Okan Buruk's Galatasaray are certainly dangerous in attack. Yunus Akgün has scored in all three of their league phase games so far, while summer arrival Victor Osimhen is building up an exciting rapport with Mauro Icardi. "Playing with Icardi is very exciting," said Osimhen after their 4-3 win against Elfsborg. "I enjoy it a lot. We understand each other."

Did you know?
Galatasaray are the joint-top scorers in this season's league phase, level with Lazio on nine goals.

Manchester United vs PAOK

Between November 2008 and February 2009, Sir Alex Ferguson's United recorded four straight draws in European club competition. After the Red Devils were held in their first three league phase games, interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy will be hoping this is a club record that 'Fergie' gets to keep.

On paper, PAOK look to be a good side to be facing; they lost their first two games, and only rallied from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Viktoria Plzeň last time out after their guests had a player sent off. "I didn't know what to do with myself," coach Răzvan Lucescu admitted after his team's poor start to that game, before adding: "It's very important to see the way the team responded." Their resilience will be tested at Old Trafford.

Did you know?
United have won all six of their previous home games against Greek sides, scoring 20 goals and conceding just one.

Olympiacos vs Rangers

The coaching nous of José Luis Mendilibar and the goals of Ayoub El Kaabi helped Olympiacos claim Conference League glory last season – a landmark achievement for a Greek club. That duo again played a role as Thrylos won their last two league phase fixtures, and they will aim to make it three in a row against Rangers. "European games suit us better [than domestic games] because the opponents play more openly, which helps us press higher and be more aggressive," said Spanish boss Mendilibar.

Rangers gave a superb display of controlled aggression when they beat FCSB 4-0 at Ibrox on Matchday 3, captain James Tavernier taking courage as he looked ahead to the trips to Olympiacos and then Nice. "We have two tough away games now but we always test ourselves against the best teams," he said. "We'll be pushing ourselves to get a performance and result when we go away."

Did you know?
Olympiacos won both of their previous home games against Scottish clubs, while Rangers have yet to win in four visits to Greece (D3 L1).

Lazio vs Porto

After comfortable wins in their first three games, Lazio top the Europa League table on goal difference, with new coach Marco Baroni's attacking style bringing the best out of 37-year-old Pedro Rodríguez. Danish forward Gustav Isaksen is feeling the good vibes too, though he is not going so far as to tip his side for the Europa League trophy just yet. "We are doing very well, but I wouldn't say we were favourites," he said. "Maybe one of a group."

Matchday 4 opponents Porto may well be in that leading pack too. Unbeaten in four games against Lazio (W2 D2, including two draws in Rome), the Dragons got their first league phase win against Hoffenheim last time out, and coach Vítor Bruno is hoping they have now found their rhythm. "This new format means we have to always be near perfect and rotate," he said. "It's no accident that only three teams have won all their games. Now it's time to continue the good work and gather more points."

Did you know?
Porto's Samu is the top scorer in the league phase with four goals.

Plus

• Anderlecht are one of only three sides (along with Lazio and Spurs) who have recorded three wins so far. They visit RFS next but must be wary: the Latvian side caused a big stir when they held Galatasaray to a 2-2 draw on Matchday 2.
• Ajax have seven points from three games and will look to move on to ten as they meet Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who have yet to register a point. The Dutch club's new young coach Francesco Farioli has brought an injection of positivity.
• An unenviable 3,500km journey from Azerbaijan awaits Qarabağ as they visit Bodø/Glimt. Masters of Thursday-night football in recent seasons, the Norwegian side have seven league phase points and are closing in on their fourth domestic title.