The second half of the UEFA Europa League league phase begins on Thursday with matchday 5 football. Fans were treated to some high quality football throughout the first four rounds of play, and can expect the drama to intensify for the next two months of football.
Ahead of the round of play, The Deck previews all 18 matches.
UEFA Europa League: Matchday 5
Midtjylland Faces Tough Challenge
We start in the Italian capital, where AS Roma (6 points, 18th place) welcomes FC Midtjylland (12, 1st). The Giallorossi have had a bumpy run in the league phase so far, but returned to winning ways three weeks ago. They will likely have to win out if they hope to finish in the top eight. Meanwhile, the Danish side is the only club to hold a perfect record in the league phase, currently riding a nine-game winning streak in Europe altogether.
For the second season in a row, Aston Villa (9, 6th) faces Young Boys (6, 22nd), this time, at home. The Premier League side prevailed 3-0 on the road last fall in the Champions League. While they have not necessarily sparkled in the UEL thus far, Villa still sits in a good position. A win would put them in a solid spot to end up in the top eight come the end of January. Of the teams currently in the top 24, Young Boys has conceded the most goals (10). They have only beaten English opposition twice in 13 matches (2-2-9).
Porto (7, 14th) will be looking to get back on track as they play host to OGC Nice (0, 35th). Dragões has failed to win any of their last two after starting off the campaign on fire. This is just their second home match though, having beaten Crvena zvezda back on matchday 2. Nice will desperately want to put their lengthy winless run in Europe to an end, which is currently at 16 (0-4-12). Les Aiglons already lost to Benfica in UCL qualifying back in August.
Both Fenerbahçe (7, 15th) and Ferencváros (10, 3rd) will fancy their chances in their clash. The Turkish side has not been beaten since matchday 1, with a win on Thursday putting them on the cusp of knockout football. Meanwhile, Fradi has been the biggest surprise package in the UEL this fall. They are one of five clubs not to have been defeated in the first half of the league phase, and can even challenge for the top eight. They have a 4-1-1 record against Turkish teams.
A big clash will take place in Rotterdam, where Feyenoord (3, 29th) takes on Celtic (4, 27th). Neither team can afford another defeat, as they sit outside of the top 24. Feyenoord’s finest hour came at the expense of their Scottish opponents, when they defeated the Hoops in the European Cup final in 1969/70. Celtic ended their winless start three weeks ago with a key win. Making it two in a row would definitely put them back in the running for one of the knockout round spots.
In France, LOSC Lille (6, 19th) will take on Dinamo Zagreb (7, 12th). Les Dogues have had a contrasting Europa League, winning their opening two only to lose the next two. Getting back on track will be key for them, as another reverse will pile the pressure going into the final three games. It is a similar story for Dinamo, who has only claimed a point in their last two after picking up a pair of successes to open their league phase account. They have won three of their last five away games in Europe.
Time is running out on Ludogorets (3, 30th), who hosts Celta Vigo (9, 4th). The regulars from Bulgarian champions have had a UEL campaign to forget, having lost their last three. They have conceded the joint-second most in the league phase so far with nine. They lost their only other home match to the other Spanish side, Real Betis, having lost all 10 such games. Celta has had the reverse luck, winning their last three after an opening round defeat. Victory in Razgrad will all but secure a knockout round berth for them.
PAOK Thessaloniki (7, 10th) takes on SK Brann (7, 11th) in a fascinating matchup which sees both sides in the running for the top eight. It has been back-to-back successes for the Greeks, who scored four times in both games. They have won four of their previous six against sides from Norway, conceding just thrice. Brann, meanwhile, has kept three straight clean sheets, winning both of their home matches. The Norwegians will meet a Greek team for the very first time.
Our pick for the tie of the round comes from Czechia, where Viktoria Plzeň (8, 8th) plays Freiburg (10, 2nd). It is a battle of two unbeaten clubs, who sit in the top eight as a result. Plzeň will certainly be hoping for better luck against German opposition, having never won any of their nine previous attempts (0-2-7). Only two teams have outscored Freiburg so far, who has already reached 10 points in their opening four matches. They have won multiple away matches in a group phase in each of their last two appearance, and will aim to make it three in a row on Thursday night.
Braga Hoping to Bounce Back As Genk Hosts Basel
Real Betis (8, 9th) looks to stay unbeaten in this season’s Europa League as they host Utrecht (1, 32nd). Los Verdiblancos sit outside of the top eight on goal difference, but has conceded just twice in their opening four games. They are 2-1-1 versus Dutch teams, having won both previous home games. Utrecht has yet to pick up a win in their first four attempts, scoring just once in those games. They are one of six clubs yet to have scored an away goal.
An opportunity presents itself for Bologna (5, 24th) and RB Salzburg (3, 28th), who meet in Italy. A win in this one will go a long way for both clubs in their hopes of knockout football come February. I Rossoblù have never lost at home in the UEFA Cup/Europa League although they have drawn five of their last six. As for Salzburg, they have not prevailed on Italian soil in 16 years, when they beat Lazio in the inaugural season of the modern-day UEL.
A first-ever meeting will take place between Crvena zvezda (4, 26th) and FCSB (3, 31st). Red Star will be up for this one, looking to keep their undefeated run against Romanian clubs alive (5-1-0). They knocked out CFR Cluj in the 2021/22 UEL at the playoff round after a pair of victories. For FCSB, they have endured a rough start to their season. After impressing in the UEL last term, it has not been nearly as impressive this time around, having lost their last three.
Go Ahead Eagles (6, 21st) plays host to Stuttgart (6, 20th), with a win going a long way for either club. The defending Dutch Cup holders have been competitive so far in their maiden group phase showing. They will be aiming to make it two straight at home. For Stuttgart, their last three matches have seen only one side score. After topping Feyenoord last time out, they will have the chance to do a double over Dutch opposition.
It will be an important match in Belgium between Genk (7, 13th) and Basel (6, 17th). The last experience the Smurfs have versus Swiss sides is not great. Servette eliminated them on penalties three years ago in the UCL second qualifying round after two draws. Genk has only lost once against teams from Switzerland all-time (3-4-1). Basel, meanwhile, has lost all three of their away matches this term. Funny enough, they have conceded exactly two goals in each of those reverses.
The pressure is mounting on Maccab Tel Aviv (1, 34th), who meets Olympique Lyonnais (9, 7th). The Israelis have a good record against French clubs, winning half of their eight matches (4-1-3). Sitting third from bottom heading into the match, they could really use three points. Lyon has never lost to a side from Israel (3-1-0), and if they can keep that going, they will near a knockout berth. L’OL has conceded twice in the competition so far, both coming in their defeat to Real Betis three weeks ago.
We have another former European final on the cards in England, as Nottingham Forest (5, 23rd) hosts Malmö (1, 33rd). The Tricky Trees capped off an unbeaten 1978/79 European Cup run by beating their Swedish opponents in the final. They also knocked off Östers the season after en route to capturing a second continental crown. Malmö is 1-1-7 against Premier League clubs, and given their form in the Europa League this fall, there is little hope in that record improving.
Panathinaikos (6, 16th) gets set to take on Sturm Graz (4, 25th). The former European Cup finalists return home after a pair of away matches, where they won the last one. They have come out on top in both previous meetings against Sturm in the UEL, back in 2009/10. As for the Austrian champions, both of their successes against Pana came in the UCL at the beginning of the millennium. Sitting on four points from as many matches, a win could be key for them if they are to advance.
We end with another big one, where Rangers (0, 36th) will aim to climb off last spot against Sporting Braga (9, 5th). While the Gers have not had the best of continental runs, they have beaten their Portuguese-based opponent in three of four head-to-heads (3-0-1). A fifth straight loss, however, will all but eliminate them with three rounds left. Braga’s winning start was brought to a halt last time out. They have, however, won both of their away games so far.