🖐️ things to look out for in Thursday’s European action 🇪🇺 | OneFootball

After another thrilling matchday of Champions League action concluded, attention now turns to the Europa and Conference League competitions on Thursday.

We look at the five biggest talking points to watch out for.

All roads lead to Dublin for Liverpool

It might feel like an age ago at this point given their Champions League heroics, but Jürgen Klopp’s first continental adventure with Liverpool was in the Europa League, having taken over early into the 2015/16 season.

Their run to the final went through Manchester United and his old side Borussia Dortmund but they ultimately became one of countless sides to fall to Sevilla in Europe’s secondary competition.

Back in it for the first time in eight years, it appears Klopp is looking to add another trophy to his already glittering cabinet, and with a final in Dublin this season, most Liverpool fans are all in on another European odyssey this season.

A win away to Toulouse will guarantee passage to the knockout round, almost certainly as group winners. Klopp will likely be even able to rest some of his big hitters in the process.

Roma and Leverkusen looking to stake their claim

Outside of teams who may drop into the Europa League from the Champions League (ahem, Manchester United) it looks like Roma and Bayer Leverkusen (currently atop the BundesLiga) represent Liverpool’s greatest challenge this season.

The two sides are also managed by a sworn enemy and a favourite son on Merseyside (José  Mourinho and Xabi Alonso respectively) and met in last year’s semi-final where master bested apprentice (the two worked together at Real Madrid a decade ago).

Like Liverpool, both are also on maximum points from their first three games and can qualify tonight if things go to plan, which you would expect given Roma are away to Slavia Prague and Leverkusen travel to Qarabağ.

Will it be another Greek tragedy for West Ham?

After a very promising start to the season, things have gone awry of late for West Ham with three consecutive league losses and a defeat away to Olympiacos two weeks ago. If it wasn’t for a cracking EFL Cup win at home to Arsenal, the Irons would be in full-blown crisis.

Regardless, it is vital they get back on track with a win over the Greeks at the London Stadium. Anything else and their last-32 hopes could be in serious jeopardy with Freiburg currently level on points with them.

After going all the way in the Conference League last season, it would be a crushing blow for David Moyes’s side.

Every point counts in Group B

Perhaps the most hotly contested group in the Europa League, all four of Marseille, AEK Athens, Brighton and Ajax have a strong chance of qualification with just three points separating first and last.

The Ligue 1 outfit travel to the Greek capital looking for a win that would near-seal qualification while in Amsterdam, a win for Ajax would lift them fourth to second. After back-to-back league wins that have lifted them out of the Eredivisie relegation zone and Chuba Akpom hitting form, the Dutch giants will fancy it against Brighton.

As for the Seagulls, their domestic form may be ailing but they did beat Ajax last time around. What odds on a most famous win yet for Roberto De Zerbi’s men?

Home comforts for Aston Villa

Aston Villa have been one of the stories of the season to date but Sunday’s loss at Nottingham Forest exposed their one apparent weakness: away days, which was noted by winger Moussa Diaby after the game.

So, they will be glad to be in the familiar surroundings of Villa Park when they face off with AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League. A win will virtually seal passage to the last-32 of a tournament that they should fancy to go all the way in.

With a formidable home record and having already beaten the Eredivisie side 4-1 away on top of Unai Emery being a renowned European tournament specialist, expect this to happen.