{"id":33063,"date":"2020-11-03T19:16:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T13:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/?p=33063"},"modified":"2020-11-03T19:16:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T13:46:00","slug":"matchday-03-europa-league-2020-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/matchday-03-europa-league-2020-21\/","title":{"rendered":"5 matches to look forward to on Matchday 03: Europa League 2020-21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>UEFA has been relentless with its Champions League and Europa League fixtures this season. We\u2019ve already had the privilege of witnessing two action-packed Matchdays, and, now, we\u2019re hours from kicking off another, equally exciting round of European fixtures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Last week, almost all Europa League teams looked a bit more settled; a little more in control of their nerves. The results weren\u2019t satisfactory for all, of course, but we definitely got a real whiff of the action that the second-most-prestigious European club competition delivers. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>This week, we\u2019re hoping for even more drama and ruthlessness \u2014 the two most dominant flavours of this competition. Here are the five matches to look forward to on the third matchday of the <a href=\"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/category\/football\/football-competitions\/uefa-europa-league\/\">UEFA Europa League<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">#5 Leicester City vs SC Braga <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>When Leicester City won the English Premier League in 2015\/16, many expected them to be one-season-wonders; to fizzle out of the limelight after a year of sky-high success. Over four years have flown by since their title celebration, and they have still, somehow, managed to keep themselves relevant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Leicester City \ud83e\udd1d winning in the rain <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jvCGUhDHey\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/jvCGUhDHey<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Leicester City (@LCFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LCFC\/status\/1323383982285852672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>With two Europa League group stage wins, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brendan_Rodgers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brendan Rodgers<\/a>\u2019 Leicester City are at the top of their group and tied on points with second-placed SC Braga. A win on Thursday would not only be a massive confidence booster, but it would also give them breathing room in the competition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">#4 Arsenal vs Molde<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Premier League giants, <a href=\"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/category\/football\/football-teams\/arsenal\/\">Arsenal<\/a>, are also in fine shape in the UEFA Europa League, this season. Yes, it\u2019s still early days and the group they\u2019re in isn\u2019t exactly the most challenging. But that shouldn\u2019t take anything away from the consistency they\u2019ve shown over the last two Matchdays.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The Gunners are coming into Thursday\u2019s fixture on the back of a massive win over Manchester United in the English top-flight and would fancy themselves to get the better of Norwegian outfit, Molde. <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We saw it, Thomas \ud83d\ude09<br><br>\ud83e\udd5c <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Thomaspartey22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Thomaspartey22<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MUNARS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#MUNARS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wW74FhM7z0\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/wW74FhM7z0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Arsenal\/status\/1323275689596997633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Molde, by the way, have also picked up six points from their opening two matches and would like to do something of note at the Emirates. An exciting match seems very much on the cards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">#3 AC Milan vs Lille<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Last week, <a href=\"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/category\/football\/football-teams\/ac-milan\/\">AC Milan<\/a> found themselves in the second position, trailing Lille on goal difference. The second Matchday favoured the Rossoneri greatly and they found it in themselves to pick up a comfortable 3-0 win over Sparta Prague. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Now, sitting proudly at the summit, they are gearing up to welcome second-placed Lille to town.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/acmilan\/status\/1323310511711227905\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The visitors, Lille, who currently have four points from two matches, overcame a 2-0 deficit at home to bag a 2-2 stalemate against Celtic on the second Matchday. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>The outcome wasn\u2019t satisfactory, of course, but the character their display of character was noteworthy. Milan have a real match on their hands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">#2 Celtic vs Sparta Prague<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic, have a rich history to take inspiration from. They\u2019ve made it a habit to step up to the plate when the odds are stacked against them, and they must do the same, this season, in the Europa League. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Pitted in a group with AC Milan and Lille, it was always going to be a tough task for Celtic. However, they surely expected a little better after the opening pair of fixtures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf40\ud83d\udc4b Good morning, Celts! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ScottishCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#ScottishCup<\/a> Unique Angle \ud83c\udfa5<br><br>\ud83d\ude80 Christie&#39;s stunner<br>\u26bd\ufe0f Another goal for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Moielyo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Moielyo<\/a> <br>\ud83c\udd70\ufe0f\ud83c\udd70\ufe0f Two assists for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Tom_Rogic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Tom_Rogic<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/K4vop4Lcxj\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/K4vop4Lcxj<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CelticFC\/status\/1323188503656730624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>On the third Matchday, they\u2019ll be hosting an out-of-form Sparta Prague at Celtic Park, looking to book their first win in Europe this season. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Sparta haven\u2019t picked up a single European point, so far, but cannot be counted out completely; especially if they try to keep things tight at the back and play for a draw.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">#1 Benfica vs Rangers<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>While Celtic are struggling to get a foothold in their group, another Scottish giant, Rangers, look to be in the form of their lives. Yes, it\u2019s too early to call, and yes, they\u2019re yet to face the biggest team of the pack, but the overall mood of the squad is definitely positive. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>The Premiership leaders have complete faith in Steven Gerrard\u2019s management and believe that great things are on the cards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udfaf <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/James_Tavernier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@James_Tavernier<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3p7rgB3RM8\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/3p7rgB3RM8<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RangersFC\/status\/1322942271961112576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 1, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Group D leaders, Benfica, of course, are in excellent form in the competition. They aren\u2019t exactly the best defensive unit on the planet, but their attacking flair more than makes up for it. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>The clash could ultimately boil down to Benfica\u2019s attack and Rangers\u2019 defense, and it\u2019d be fascinating to see how that one pans out.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/erling-haaland-tipped-to-join-liverpool\/\">Erling Haaland tipped to join Liverpool<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some cracking Europa League matches on the cards this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":32870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5467,5447,16,5886],"tags":[5231,5035,5287,5015,6218,5038],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33063"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}