SportsEuropa League Preview: Napoli, Rangers, Need To Win; Must Win For Marseille...

Europa League Preview: Napoli, Rangers, Need To Win; Must Win For Marseille To Progress

October 20, (THEWILL) – Continental football continues on Thursday with the second tier European football competition, the Europa League, taking centre stage. From the series of matches to be played, THEWILL has a preview of the action to look forward to in some of the fixtures to be played with the early evening kickoff as Lazio.

Lazio Versus Marseille – 5:45 pm

At the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, Lazio will host Marseille in the Europa League, pitting two of Europe’s best attacking forces against each other. On matchday two, the hosts won their first match of the tournament against Lokomotiv Moscow, while Jorge Sampaoli’s side drew 0-0 with Galatasaray.

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However, the Italian giants face an uphill battle to win Group E, with second-placed Biancocelesti one point behind Galatasaray, and Marseille will leapfrog their upcoming hosts with all three points on Thursday.

Lazio has not had it easy this season, but the hosts should be confident after a 12-game unbeaten run at home, which includes 10 victories, and Marseille have been shut out on the road more than once in recent weeks.

Sampaoli’s side must now try to turn around a poor run of form on the road, in which they have drawn two and lost one of their last three away from home, scoring just one goal.

Rangers Versus Brondby – 8 pm

When Rangers face Danish champions Brondby at Ibrox on Thursday night in the Europa League, they will be looking for their first win in Group A. The two teams, who will meet for the first time in a competitive match, are two of only three teams in the competition who have yet to score.

The Gers, with Nigerians Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo playing, have already lost 2-0 and 1-0 to Lyon and Sparta Prague, respectively, and another loss on Thursday would put their chances of progressing from Group A in jeopardy. Their manager Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, should be confident in his team’s ability to defeat Brondby in midweek.

Brondby’s first European campaign since 2008/2009 has gotten off to a better start than expected, with a point from each of their first two group matches. The Group A outsiders drew 0-0 at home against Sparta Prague in their first match before losing 3-0 away to one of the tournament favourites, Lyon, last month.

The Boys from Vestegnen, on the other hand, have lost 10 of their last 11 European away games, and they will need to be at their best if they are to beat Rangers.

Napoli Versus Legia Warszawa – 8 pm

Serie A leaders Napoli host Group C rival Legia Warsaw at Stadio Maradona where they will attempt to kick-start their Europa League campaign.

On the other hand, group leaders Legia have lost their last two league games ahead of their trip to Naples, in contrast to their hosts, who have kept a perfect league record but struggled in Europe.

However, if Napoli are to keep their record of never failing to qualify from a Europa League group, they must now bring their winning ways in Serie A to the continental competition.

Luciano Spalletti, who intends to start Victor Osimhen on the bench, will be eager to pick up points in the hopes of his side reaching the knockout stages once more this season as Napoli has made it five qualifications out of five consecutively in their previous seasons.

West Ham Versus Racing Genk – 8 pmest Ham, the Group H leaders, will 6 looking to make it three wins in three games when they face KRC Genk at the London Stadium this week, after winning two games in a row against Dinamo Zagreb and Rapid Wien, scoring four goals without conceding.

Genk, meanwhile, are in third place in the group standings after two matches, with three points. The Belgian side won 1-0 against Rapid Wien to start their Europa League campaign, but were then thrashed 3-0 by Dinamo Zagreb. John van den Brom’s side has been in poor form recently, losing their last three domestic games, the most recent of which was a 2-0 loss to Charleroi where star striker Nigerian Paul Onuachu missed a spot kick.

A win would bring Genk level on points with West Ham, but it will be more difficult than it appears. Theo Bongonda and Junya Ito will be in charge of providing opportunities for Onuachu, who was rumoured to be a transfer target for the Hammers.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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