UEFA Europa League preview: what to watch out for on matchday 3 | UEFA Europa League

Manchester United take on former boss José Mourinho as Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League takes them to Fenerbahçe, with Tottenham and Lazio aiming to maintain a 100% start.

All showtimes are 9:00 PM CET unless otherwise stated

Wednesday October 23
Galatasaray 4-3 Elfsborg
Braga 1-2 Bodø/Glimt

Thursday October 24
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 (6:45 PM)
PAOK vs. Viktoria Pilsen (18:45)
Qarabağ vs Ajax (18:45)
Athletic Club vs Slavia Prague
Porto vs Hoffenheim
Twente versus Lazio
Fenerbahce vs Manchester United
Malmö vs Olympiacos
Lyon vs Beşiktaş
Rangers vs FCSB
Anderlecht versus Ludogorets
Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar

Striking fixtures

Fenerbahce vs Manchester United

José Mourinho creates drama wherever he goes, and the new Fenerbahçe boss will look to make the right headlines on the pitch as his Yellow Canaries take over the side he managed from 2016 to 2018 and won the Europa League in 2016/17.

“I did my job there,” the Portuguese coach said earlier this year. “I would like to see Manchester United succeed.” He will undoubtedly hope that Erik ten Hag’s team will have a bad evening in Istanbul.

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 is no denying that our football is making progress, and part of that is resilience,” said manager Ange Postecoglou after his youthful Spurs side secured a second-leg victory on Matchday 2, and they will look to maintain that run now that AZ is leaving for London. .

In the meantime, the Alkmaar team will try to break an unfortunate series. They have lost all eight games in England, the most famous being a 3-0 defeat to 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 37.12km/h in a recent home match, the fastest sprint in the Premier League this season.

Twente versus Lazio

“If we keep playing 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 took them top of the table of the emerging competition stage with an impressive + 6 goals difference.

However, the Italian side will not have an easy time in Enschede; Twente have only two points so far, but they came in draws against two of the competition’s top contenders, Manchester United and Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe.

Did you know?
Twente have drawn their last three matches in Europe this season, and although they have yet to lose at home to Serie A opponents, three of those four encounters have ended level.

Lyon vs Beşiktaş

Back in Europe after a two-season absence, Lyon are enjoying life in the Europa League under coach Pierre Sage, following a 2-0 defeat to Olympiacos on Matchday 1 with a thumping 4-1 win over Rangers last time away Alexandre Lacazette and Malick Fofana both scored twice in Glasgow.

Their next challenge brings back memories of their journey to the semi-finals of the 2016/17 Europa League. They exchanged 2-1 home wins with the Black Eagles, with the draw ultimately decided on penalties, with Lyon winning the shoot-out 7-6 in Istanbul.

Did you know?
Beşiktaş ended a run of four consecutive defeats on French soil as they won 2-1 in Monaco on their most recent visit, in the 2017/18 Champions League.

Plus

• Only five teams have six points for matchday 3: Lazio, Lyon, Anderlecht and Spurs plus the Romanian FCSB. Coach Elias Charalambous said a 1-0 success at PAOK on matchday 2 was “one of the biggest wins” of his career. Would a win 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 earned his side just one point. The Dragons will hope his luck improves when they welcome Hoffenheim from the Bundesliga.
• Bilbao is the venue for this season’s final and local Athletic Club have made a positive start to the competition phase, taking four points from meetings with Roma and AZ. They will look to add three more as they welcome Slavia Praha.