Omonia vs. Antwerp (Thursday, 6.00pm)
© Reuters
Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp travel to Cyprus on Thursday to face Omonia in the first-leg of their Europa League qualification campaign, after last season finishing third in the Championship round which follows the conclusion of the Belgian First Division A.
Omonia enter this stage of the Europa League as they were knocked out of Champions League qualification at the end of July, after initially finishing top of the Cypriot First Division, the first time the club has won their domestic league since 2010.
We say: Omonia 1-2 Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp have not kept a clean sheet yet in their league campaign which will give the home side confidence that they can get on the scoresheet on Thursday.
However, Omonia have shown their defensive frailties and lost their last game in the 90 minutes, taking away the aggregate score, meaning that Antwerp will believe they can take the first advantage in this two-legged tie.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Slavia Prague vs. Legia (Thursday, 6.00pm)
© Reuters
Slavia Prague and Legia Warsaw meet in the Europa League qualifiers after both sides failed to progress in their Champions League qualification campaigns.
The first leg of this tie will be played at the Sinobo Stadium, giving the Czech Republican side home advantage to begin with, before Legia Warsaw host Slavia Prague to conclude the tie next week.
We say: Slavia Prague 1-1 Legia Warsaw
Both sides have had similar starts to their respective seasons, having been knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers but gained positive results in their domestic campaign, suggesting that this tie is going to be a closely-fought encounter.
Neither side will want to give their opposition an early advantage heading into the second leg next week, and they will both be wary of being knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers after what happened in the Champions League.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Randers vs. Galatasaray (Thursday, 6.00pm)
© Reuters
Randers take on Galatasaray at Cepheus Park Randers on Thursday evening in the first league of the sides' Europa League playoff round tie.
The hosts enter at this stage thanks to domestic success last season, while Galatasaray are relying on Europe's secondary competition following elimination from the Champions League.
We say: Randers 0-2 Galatasaray
If Randers are to pull off a big upset and reach the Europa League group stage, they will surely have to pick up a positive result in this first leg on home soil.
The Horses have made a strong start to their domestic campaign, but we can still see Galatasaray's quality shining through in Denmark on Thursday evening.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
NS Mura vs. Sturm Graz (Thursday, 7.00pm)
NS Mura welcome Sturm Graz to the Mesti Stadion Fazanerija on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League qualifying encounter.
With little margin for error, both teams will be looking to gain the upper hand in the tie ahead of next week's return leg in Styria.
We say: NS Mura 1-2 Sturm Graz
Sturm Graz are the more in-form side coming into the contest, and they will want to take advantage of their current momentum. We are backing them to put themselves in the driving seat going into the return leg with a narrow away victory in this one.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Fenerbahce vs. HJK Helsinki (Thursday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
In only their second competitive fixture of the 2021-22 season, Fenerbahce welcome HJK Helsinki to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League playoff round tie.
The Turkish giants qualified for this stage of the tournament via their league position, while HJK overcame Neftchi Baku in the previous round to book their plane tickets to Istanbul.
We say: Fenerbahce 2-0 HJK Helsinki
HJK are certainly capable of making this a much closer affair than it would appear on paper, but fatigue may creep in for the visitors in the middle of their domestic season.
Fenerbahce are expected to field a similar 3-4-3 system to that of their opponents and boast several more household names, so while HJK will put up a strong fight, we still expect Pereira's men to claim a first-leg advantage.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Olympiacos vs. Slovan Bratislava (Thursday, 8.00pm)
© Reuters
Following respective exits from the preliminary rounds of the Champions League, Olympiacos and Slovan Bratislava lock horns on Thursday evening in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie.
The Greek giants suffered penalty shootout heartache against Ludogorets to drop down to Europe's secondary competition, while Bratislava have already overcome Lincoln Red Imps to get this far.
We say: Olympiacos 2-0 Slovan Bratislava
A trip to Olympiacos may prove to be a bridge too far for Bratislava, who will aim to keep the scoreline as respectable as possible before trying to turn things around in the second leg.
That is not to say that a shock result is totally off the cards, but the Greek champions will come out all guns blazing in a bid to avoid more continental failure and should claim a convincing win on home soil.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Rapid Vienna vs. Luhansk (Thursday, 8.00pm)
© Reuters
Separated from a spot in this season's Europa League by just 180 minutes of action, Zorya Luhansk and Rapid Vienna go head-to-head at the Allianz Stadion on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League playoff.
With the second leg to come next week, each side will be looking to steal a march on the other and put themselves in the box seat.
We say: Rapid Vienna 2-0 Zorya Luhansk
As with every two-legged ties, the onus is always on the home team to secure a win in front of their fans. While we expect the visitors to put up a good fight, we are also tipping the hosts to emerge victorious come the full-time whistle.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Rangers vs. Alashkert (Thursday, 8.00pm)
© Reuters
Preparing for another unfancied stint in the Europa League, Rangers prepare to welcome Armenian outfit Alashkert FC to Ibrox for the first leg of their playoff round tie on Thursday night.
Steven Gerrard's men dropped down from the Champions League following defeat to Malmo over two legs, while the visitors have already beaten Kairat to progress this far.
We say: Rangers 3-0 Alashkert FC
Even with a two-man advantage, Alashkert made hard work of their victory over Kairat and make the journey to Ibrox on the back of two disappointing league results.
Rangers have not been without their own problems during the embryonic period of the season, but Gerrard's men should storm into a healthy first-leg lead on home soil.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Matt Law
