Bournemouth welcome Italian giants AC Milan

Set for a glamour tie that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, Bournemouth will welcome Italian giants AC Milan to England’s south coast.

With a perfect Europa League record so far, the European rookies sit three points above the seven-time continental champions.

The first UEFA tie of Bournemouth’s 127-year history saw the Dorset side head to San Sebastian on matchday one and they celebrated the occasion with a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad.

That set the stage for their first-ever home game in European competition – last week’s 3-0 defeat of Austrian champions Sturm Graz.

Now, Bournemouth will finish a run of three home games in the space of eight days with Thursday’s match against Milan: the pair have only met once before – the Italian side won a 2016 friendly 2-1.

Now leading one of Italy’s top clubs, Ruben Amorim will return to England in midweek, having lost none of six previous away games in the Europa League’s group phase.

However, he failed to beat Bournemouth in all three attempts as Manchester United manager.

Despite their historic status, Milan have only won two of 22 European matches in England, losing 13 times along the way.

Even though the Rossoneri are currently in good form, Bournemouth have found some rhythm after a slow start.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Juventus host free-scoring Rennes 

Aiming to extend their sharp start in this season’s Europa League, Juventus will host free-scoring Rennes.

In contrast to dire domestic form, Juve currently have a perfect record in Europe; their French counterparts are also unbeaten, after posting a first league-phase win last week.

Juve may have made an exemplary start in UEFA’s second-tier competition, but they have been less impressive on the domestic scene, winning only one of their last five league games.

Already eight points behind pace-setters Inter Milan, the Turin club have made a worse start than at this stage last year, just before Igor Tudor was sacked and replaced by Spalletti.

Now, Juventus must meet Stade Rennais for the first time since 1999.

While Rennes have lost on all four of their visits to Italy – against Juve, Udinese, Lazio and AC Milan – they will head to Turin hoping to halt that streak.

The Breton club have made an unbeaten start to their Europa League campaign, following a 0-0 draw with Sturm Graz by beating OFI Crete last week, thanks to a late winner from Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal.

Their continental success has been built on a strong defence. So, with the pressure slightly eased after making such a fine start to the league phase, Juve can beat hit-and-miss Rennes.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Monaco and Freiburg set to lock horns

Two of the favourites to win the Conference League are set to lock horns, when Monaco host Freiburg at Stade Louis-II on matchday two of the league-phase.

Les Monegasques and Die Breisgau-Brasilianer are both looking for a fourth win in six games, as well as a response to respective defeats last time out.

Filipe Luis‘s Monaco have produced an excellent campaign so far, winning seven, drawing two and losing just one of their 10 competitive matches to date.

Luis’s side remain fifth in Ligue 1 on 14 points, level with the rest of the top five in a tussle for the role of early-season front-runner.

Monaco kicked off their Conference League league-phase with a 2-1 victory over CSKA Sofia last week, with a third-minute opener from Paris Brunner setting the tone for a successful night in Bulgaria.

Monaco have been impressive in the early stages of this season, and will be hopeful about putting their loss at the weekend firmly in the past.

However, Freiburg have been similarly strong this term, so expect to see a close-fought contest with goals from both sides.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Crystal Palace travel to Istanbul to face Besiktas

Fresh from a heavy five-goal domestic defeat, Crystal Palace travel to Istanbul to face Besiktas at Tupras Stadium in the Europa League on Thursday night.

While the hosts occupy fourth spot in the 36-team League Phase standings, the visitors are down in 15th place after the first two rounds of fixtures.

After failing to qualify for European competition last season, Besiktas have since made a positive start to their Europa League campaign this term, winning their opening two matches and scoring a joint competition-high seven goals in the process.

A statement 4-1 home victory over Marseille on matchday one was followed by a 3-2 away win against Hoffenheim last week.

Besiktas have won their first two games in the main stage of a UEFA competition for just the fourth time in their history.

Seeking a swift return to winning ways, Besiktas will welcome Thursday’s Tupras Stadyumu homecoming as they have won each of their last four European home matches; they have never put together a run of five straight home wins in UEFA competition.

The pressure is beginning to mount on new Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage, who harboured “only one feeling – shame” after watching his side put to the sword 5-0 by Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday, equalling the 70year record for the club’s heaviest defeat against their M23 rivals.

Both managers will be demanding an immediate response from their respective players following disappointing domestic defeats last weekend, but we are backing Besiktas to edge past a defensively-frail Palace outfit in front of a hostile home crowd.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

Europa League Fixtures

Ararat-Armenia 16:45 AZ Alkmaar

Kairat 14:30 Panathinaikos