UEFA Europa League Group Stage - Matchday 3 English Teams Preview
As the International break draws to a close, atten
As the International break draws to a close, attention turns back to domestic and continental football. The Europa League group stages head towards matchday 3, the halfway point, and English teams are well in the thick of it when it comes to qualifying for the next stage. Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham have the honour of fighting for European glory in this competition this term and boy, do they want to win it.
Group Standings and Upcoming Matches
Group A - West Ham
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Freiburg | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Olympiacos | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| TSC Backa Topola | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
West Ham have a 100% record so far in the Europa League contributing to a historic 17 consecutive European matches unbeaten. will head to Greece to face an in-form Olympiacos team who sit at the top of their domestic league table unbeaten. On the back of last year’s Conference League success, David Moyes’ men will be expecting to progress through the group stages and if they can get through this tricky away fixture, there will be no reason not to be optimistic.
The other fixture in the group sees TSC Backa Topola host Freiburg in Serbia. The Serbians are the groups whipping boys, but a surprise draw against Olympiacos on Matchday 2 shows they’re not just here to make up the numbers.
It will be a tricky group to navigate for West Ham. Freiburg and Olympiacos are no pushovers and anybody can truly beat anybody in this group, but, get through this difficult away match with a point at least and they should be fine. The bookmakers see promise in West Ham’s chances in this matchday and have them as favourites going into the match at 15/14. Punters’ favourite Irish sportsbooks will be certain to slash West Ham’s outright price if they produce a convincing win away from home.
Group A Fixtures:
Thursday 26 October
Olympiacos v West Ham (17:45)
TSC BAcka Topola v Freiburg (17:45)
Group B - Brighton & Hove Albion
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEK Athens | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Marseille | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ajax | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Brighton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Brighton started European football in probably the worst possible way, a home defeat against the lowest ranked side in their group put a damper on their celebrations. It’s the first time in their 121 year history that Brighton and Hove Albion have competed on the continental stage and De Zerbi would have expected more.
However, Matchday 2 saw the seasiders travel to Marseille and pick up a hard-fought point after coming back from 2-0 down at half time thanks to goals from Gross and Joao Pedro. Whilst that leaves Albion on just 1 point, elsewhere in the group, no team is pulling up any teams. Marseille and Ajax are yet to win a game this term and perhaps surprisingly, AEK Athens sit top of the group, unbeaten.
A real ‘I was there’ moment coming up for Brighton fans. Ajax at home. And De Zerbi will need to pull something out of the bag to translate league form into Europa League form. The Sussex based club are currently the Premier League’s top goal scorers and sit comfortably in 6th place. The Italian will be relying on solid performances all round, no less than from defender Lewis Dunk who featured for England during the international break and his forward line of Mitoma, Pedro and Ferguson to get the goals and provide that fluid football we are used to seeing from Brighton.
Group B Fixtures:
Thursday 26 October
Marseille v AEK Athens (17:45)
Brighton v Ajax (20:00)
Group E - Liverpool
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Toulouse | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Union SG | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| LASK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
As you might expect, tournament favourites, Liverpool sit firmly at the top of Group E after 2 consecutive wins. Although it must be said, after a nervy start away at LASK on Matchday 1 where Jurgen Klopp’s men found themselves trailing at half time. However a change of gear at half time saw them become eventual winners. Fast forward to Matchday 2 and it was a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Belgian side, Union SG.
Liverpool are by far and away the tournament favourites. The Reds are priced at 3/1 whereas Roma, second favourites, are priced at the 12/1 mark. It comes as no surprise as the Merseyside outfit are usually applying their trade in the Champions League, but after a slightly disappointing Premier League campaign, Jurgen Klopp sets his sights on a trophy that has eluded him so far, the Europa League.
Up next for Liverpool is the highest ranked team in their group, apart from themselves of course, Toulouse. Should not really be an issue for Liverpool but could pose a small stumbling block in the inevitable progress through to the next round.
Group E Fixtures:
Thursday 26 October
Union SG v LASK (20:00)
Liverpool v Toulouse (20:00)
Summary
The UEFA Europa League group stage is in full swing, and English teams are navigating intriguing challenges in their pursuit of European glory.
West Ham leads Group A with an impeccable record, but their upcoming clash with Olympiacos, a strong contender in their domestic league, promises a stern test amidst the group's unpredictability.
Brighton & Hove Albion, embarking on their historic European debut, overcame a rough start with a resilient comeback against Marseille and now face Ajax, with fans hoping for a memorable moment under manager De Zerbi's guidance.
Meanwhile, tournament favourites Liverpool, led by Jurgen Klopp, are living up to their billing in Group E, poised to secure the Europa League trophy following a challenging Premier League season, boasting two wins already.
As Matchday 3 unfolds, these English teams continue their quest for advancement. Their prize? The unpredictability of European knock-out football.
