The UEFA Europa League resumes this week with Matchday 4 of the group stage.
Here are five games to keep close tabs on:
Lille vs Everton
The running narrative: The Toffees are on a four-match unbeaten run (with two wins) in all competitions since Ross Barkley returned to the first team after a devastating knee ligament injury picked up in pre-season.
Interesting tidbit: This will be Lille’s 100th European appearance, but the club is currently on a six-match winless streak in continental competition (with two losses), and has drawn all three of its Europa League group fixtures this season.
The edge: With two of their three remaining Europa League encounters to be played on Merseyside, Everton are in complete control of their fate. A victory on Thursday coupled with Krasnodar losing away to Wolfsburg will see Everton needing only to secure a point in their final two fixtures to advance to the next round.
Last word: It’s been over four years since Lille last visited Merseyside. On that night, Liverpool trashed Les Douges 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The French club has failed to score in four of their last five matches in England.
Thursday programming alert: Watch Asteras Tripolis vs Tottenham on the four main Sportsnet channels at 1:00 pm ET, Astra vs Celtic on Sportsnet ONE at 1:00 pm ET, St-Etienne vs Inter Milan on Sportsnet World at 1:00 pm ET, Everton vs Lille on the four main Sportsnet channels at 3:00 pm ET, Napoli vs Young Boys on Sportsnet ONE at 3:00 pm ET, and Sevilla vs Standard Leige on Sportsnet World at 3:00 pm ET. || Also, watch these games online at Sportsnet World NOW: FC Zurich vs Villarreal at 1:00 pm ET, Panathinaikos vs PSV Eindhoven at 1:00 pm ET and Fiorentina vs PAOK at 3:00 pm ET.
Napoli vs BSC Young Boys
The running narrative: The Azzurri are out for blood at the Stadio San Paulo after being humiliated 2-0 in Bern two weeks ago—resulting in a three-way tie for top spot in Group I (six points).
Interesting tidbit: Napoli is unbeaten in their last seven European home matches (with five wins). However, Young Boys’ only trip to Italy produced an emphatic 3-2 victory against Udinese almost two year ago to the day.
The edge: Rafa Benitez has responded to his many critics with a three-match unbeaten run (two wins) following Napoli’s embarrassment in Bern. During that spell, Gonzalo Higuain has finally rediscovered his form—netting five times—after failing to score in his previous seven domestic matches. The Argentine has notched three goals in Napoli’s five European fixtures on the season (twice in the Europa League group stage), but for the most part hasn’t delivered to his true potential this term.
Last word: Former PSG frontman Guillaume Hoarau opened the scoring at the Stade De Suisse, netting what proved to be the match-winner against Napoli. It was the 30 year-old’s third goal in three Europa League group stage matches.
Standard Liege vs Sevilla
The running narrative: Expect Sevilla to step on the gas in the return affair against the Belgians at the Estadio RamonSanchez-Pizjuan, having played out a scoreless draw in Liege two weeks ago. The hosts are undefeated at home this season in all competitions (with five wins) and are averaging two goals per-game in their backyard.
Interesting tidbit: The visitors are without a win in their last four European away matches—the most recent defeat coming in Rotterdam at the hands of Feyenoord on matchday two. Surprisingly their away form in the Belgian Jupiler League is quite decent, having secured 13 out of a possible 21 points available (four wins).
The edge: When you consider Sevilla have only lost once in their past 11 European home fixtures, Unai Emery’s side should be able to secure all three points and keep hold of top spot in Group G. Despite suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Athletic Bilbao last weekend, which ended a six-match unbeaten run in all competitions, the reining Europa League champion’s confidence and vigour shouldn’t be bothered.
Last word: Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca has yet to score in his three Europa League appearances this season, but the Colombian is tied for third in the La Liga scoring chart with Lionel Messi with seven goals, behind Neymar (nine) and Cristian Ronaldo (17).
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.
Inter Milan vs Saint-Etienne
The running narrative: After a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Parma over the weekend, the wolves are out for Nerazzurri manager Walter Mazzarri. Domestic struggles have yet to filter into Inter’s European campaign, though another disappointing result will heap more pressure on Mazzarri’s shoulders and pose more questions about his reign.
Interesting tidbit: Both clubs have yet to concede a goal in the Europa League group stage—two of five sides in the competition to accomplish this feat—having played out a scoreless snooze fest at Saint-Etienne’s Stade Geoffroy-Guichard two weeks ago.
The edge: The San Siro faithful have only witnessed one defeat in seven overall matches (five wins) this season—beaten 4-1 by Cagliari at the end of September—conceding only six times in the process. Inter sit atop of Group F on seven points, with two of their final three fixtures in the competition on home turf—a victory would put one foot in the door for the next round.
Last word: Defence first is the Saint-Etienne model this season, having played out three scoreless draws in Group F. Unfortunately, if you don’t score you can’t win, and thus they must find the back of the net if they hope to claim a place in the knockout round. Les Verts have scored 13 goals in 17 overall matches this season, with only six coming away from home.
Besiktas vs FK Partizan
The running narrative: Will the six-time Serbian SuperLiga champions ever win a UEFA group stage match again? Their winless run currently stands at 15 (with four draws).
Interesting tidbit: The reverse fixture in Belgrade ended with the visitors cruising to a 4-0 victory—it was the largest European home defeat suffered by Partizan in their 69 year history.
The edge: The Black Eagles aren’t exactly an impenetrable force at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul—two wins in seven matches spanning three competitions—though this fixture should be pretty straight forward for Slaven Bilic given their opponent’s atrocious European form over the last five years.
Last word: Parni Valjak roughly translated from Serbian to English is the Steamroller. It is one of the club’s many nicknames. Unfortunately for Partizan, they aren’t the ones doing the driving; rather they are in the path being flattened by practically every European opponent. When you consider they’ve only managed 22 shots on target—fewest in the group stage—in 270 minutes of football, it’s obvious why Partizan has yet to score a goal.