Europa League third round kicks off with high-stakes clashes

The third round of the UEFA Europa League football tournament kicks off on Thursday, with fierce competition among teams aiming to continue their winning streaks and boost their chances at the top of the table, after ten teams claimed maximum points from the first two rounds.

Attention will be on the clash between Italy’s Juventus and French visitors Rennes, as the Italian side looks for a third consecutive victory, having opened their campaign with a 5-0 win over Dutch club NEC Nijmegen, followed by a 2-1 triumph against Spain’s Celta Vigo in the second round.

Juventus hopes to regain momentum on the European stage after a dip in domestic form, including a recent 3-0 home defeat to Lazio in Serie A. Meanwhile, Rennes aims to build on their positive results, having beaten OFI Crete of Greece 2-1 in the previous round after a goalless draw with Austria’s Sturm Graz in their opener.

In another key fixture, Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen hosts OFI Crete, seeking a third straight win after victories over Slovenia’s Celje and Poland’s Lech Poznan, scoring six goals across both matches to sit second in the group standings.

Also in the spotlight is the match between Turkey’s Besiktas and English side Crystal Palace. Besiktas enters with high spirits after beating France’s Marseille 4-1 and Germany’s Hoffenheim 3-2 in the first two rounds, while Crystal Palace looks to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to France’s Lyon, having started with a commanding 4-0 win over Lech Poznan.

Elsewhere, England’s Bournemouth hosts Italy’s AC Milan, with the home side aiming to maintain their perfect start after defeating Spain’s Real Sociedad 2-1 and Sturm Graz 3-0.

Milan, on the other hand, comes into the match after regaining form with a 4-0 win over Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg, following a first-round defeat to Portugal’s Benfica.

The third round will also see Lech Poznan face England’s Sunderland, Hungary’s Ferencvaros take on Portugal’s Torrense, Austria’s Sturm Graz meet France’s Marseille, Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb play NEC Nijmegen, Armenia’s Ararat host the Netherlands’ AZ Alkmaar, Czech side Viktoria Plzen face Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia, Greece’s Olympiacos play Czech club Sparta Prague, Celje take on Red Bull Salzburg, and Cyprus’ Omonia meet Portugal’s Benfica.