Europa League

Arsenal may be struggling in the Premier League but Mikel Arteta’s men are sitting pretty in their Europa League pool with maximum points from four games. Rapid Vienna kept their hopes of qualifying alive with a couple of wins over Dundalk but do not usually travel well in this competition.

Celtic are in danger of an early exit from Europe and will be out for revenge after a 4-1 thrashing by Sparta Prague three weeks ago. That dismal performance at Parkhead left Celtic bottom of Group H with just one point from their first three games and they will be out to restore some pride in the Czech capital.

Leicester cruised to a 4-0 win against Braga three weeks ago but are unlikely to find it quite so easy in Portugal. Kelechi Iheanacho’s brace helped the Foxes take control of Group G and anything other than a defeat would leave them in pole position to win the group.

Rangers and Benfica are level on seven points each in Europa League Group D and could clinch their place in the knockout stage with victory here depending on the other result in the group. Rangers have been strong defensively this season but the original meeting in Portugal three weeks ago was a different story as they shared a 3-3 draw.

Arsenal are yet to drop a point in the Europa League this season and another victory in Norway would ensure qualification for the knockout stage with the minimum of fuss. The Gunners have been struggling for goals in the Premier League but it has been a different story in Europe, where they have netted nine goals in three group games.

Tottenham were far too strong for Ludogorets when they met in the Europa League three weeks ago and should enjoy another routine win in the rematch. The 3-1 victory in Bulgaria was more one-sided than the final result suggested and Ludogorets are bottom of Group J after losing all three matches and conceding nine goals.

Tottenham showed great spirit to get past Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Tuesday and will now hope for a smooth Europa League success against Maccabi Haifa. The Israeli outfit upset Rostov of Russia in the previous round of qualifiers but are expected to be out of their depth in this contest.

Tottenham look well placed to ease past KF Shkendija of North Macedonia in a Europa League qualifier being played behind closed doors. Spurs are coming off a big win at Southampton and were given extra preparation time for this trip when Tuesday’s EFL Cup tie at Orient was called off.

Talk of Gareth Bale returning to the club is dominating the headlines for Tottenham but they also have a Europa League match in Bulgaria to focus on. It is little more than 15 months since Spurs were appearing in the Champions League final yet they now find themselves having to qualify for the group stages of the Europa League.

Lincoln Red Imps are eyeing an Old Firm double when they host Rangers in Europa League qualifying. The team from Gibraltar famously beat Celtic in Brendan Rodgers’ first match in charge in 2016, although the Bhoys made amends in the return leg in Glasgow.

Inter Milan are hard to oppose in Friday’s Europa League decider versus Sevilla judged on the evidence of their respective semi-final performances. The Nerazzurri simply demolished Shakhtar Donetsk, whereas Los Rojiblancos were rated a touch fortunate to edge out Manchester United.

Inter Milan are fancied to have a little bit too much tactical nous for Shakhtar Donetsk in Monday night’s Europa League semi-final. The Pitmen have played some entertaining football since the competition restarted but may just have their limitations exposed at this level.

Sevilla looked a very professional side when knocking Roma out of the Europa League and are fancied to see off Wolves in the quarter-finals. Wanderers are another well-drilled outfit who play with plenty of spirit, but may just be a bit behind their Spanish opponents in overall quality.

Shakhtar Donetsk played some entertaining football in Wednesday’s defeat of Wolfsburg and may prove too hot for Basel to handle. The Swiss outfit did well to get past last season’s Europa League semi-finalists Eintracht Frankfurt but still look a touch limited at this level.