5️⃣ big questions ahead of this week's Europa League action | OneFootball

After a subdued round of Champions League action, can the Europa League liven up our midweek?

Here’s five burning questions from tonight’s second leg play-offs.

Can Ruben Loftus-Cheek do it again?

In what’s been a fairly mixed campaign for Milan so far, one man has stood out for the Rossoneri above others.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s debut season at San Siro has been nothing short of sensational with the England international taking a gamble on joining the Italian giants but thriving away from the bright lights of the Premier League.

The 28-year-old is already enjoying his greatest goalscoring season to date with seven strikes in all competitions.

Two of those came last week in their first leg against Rennes with Loftus-Cheek showing impressive forwards’ instincts with a pair of smart finishes.

Having won the game 3-0, all indications are that Milan will progress here but with Rennes having won six games on the bounce in Ligue 1, don’t expect Stefano Pioli’s side to take things easy.

Will Marseille’s change of leadership have the desired effect?

Marseille’s rollercoaster season took another turn this week with the sacking of Gennaro Gattuso after only five months in charge.

The Italian tactician had guided OM to just nine wins during his time in the south of France and with a crucial play-off against Shakhtar Donetsk hanging in the balance, the club decided now was the time to act.

Who they turned to though, was a huge surprise.

Marseille opted to hire Jean-Louis Gasset as Gattuso’s replacement with the 70-year-old back in Ligue 1 after three years away.

If Gasset’s name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because he was the veteran coach who was sacked by Ivory Coast during the group stages of this season’s African Cup of Nations.

After a shocking first couple of games at their home tournament, Cote d’Ivoire showed Gasset the door before hiring Emerse Faé as interim coach and going on to win the whole thing.

Gasset has become something of a laughing stock since then but has the chance to silence the critics as they face the Ukrainian giants at Stade Velodrome.

Is Viktor Gyökeres Europe’s most underrated striker?

There can’t be many players at the top of the European game with a career like Viktor Gyökeres.

The Sporting striker seemed like a fairly middling forward who had found his level in the Championship with Coventry.

But in 2022/23 things seemed to finally click for the Swedish finisher as he bagged 21 goals in Cov’s run to the play-off final.

Despite finding his touch in front of goal it was something of a surprise when Sporting decided to break their transfer record to land Gyökeres for €20m last summer.

But the price tag seems to have been a help rather than a hindrance for the 25-year-old with Gyökeres having netted 16 goals in all competitions so far this term.

The rangy forward scored in Sporting’s win over Young Boys last time out and more European headlines will surely have the Swede on plenty of clubs’ wishlists come the end of the season.

Will the De Rossi revolution bear fruit for Roma?

It’s no exaggeration to say that Roma’s clash with Feyenoord on Thursday could be the hinge point of the Italian side’s season.

The Giallorossi are now six games into Daniele De Rossi’s tenure having won four, drawn one and lost the other.

De Rossi’s men impressed over the weekend as they beat Frosinone 3-0 thanks in large part to a stunning solo strike from young defender Dean Huijsen.

Giving the kids a chance, playing with some confidence and letting off the attacking shackles has helped turned the capital club from tepid underachievers to in-form goal-getters.

This week’s clash with Dutch giants though, could be the match that either sees their season take off or sink’s them without trace.

The atmosphere for this one at Stadio Olimpico should be electric with the game finely balanced at 1-1 from the first leg.

Is it finally Galatasary’s year?

For a club as well-funded and well-supported as Galatasaray it’s fair to say that their European trophy count of two – one of those being the Super Cup – is pretty paltry.

The Istanbul behemoths can easily be considered one of the very biggest clubs in Europe but apart from that golden period at the turn of the millennium, Gala have consistently underachieved on the grandest stage.

But could that change this term?

With Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens and Tetê, Gala have one of the most fearsome front lines left in the Europa League whilst goalkeeper Fernando Muslera continues to perform miracles at the age of 37.

If the Rams Park outfit are to lift some silverware this season, first they must get past Sparta Prague.

Gala travel to the Czech capital this week having just squeezed past their opponents 3-2 last time.

Icardi was the hero that day and the former Argentina international will need to find his shooting boots again if Gala are to repeat past glories.