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Europa League 2018: Matchday 5 Odds, Live Stream, TV Schedule and Predictions
November 28, 2018
Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Arsenal return to UEFA Europa League action on Thursday and can both seal first-place finishes in their respective groups after the penultimate round of matches.
Matchday 5 will see the Blues host Greek outfit PAOK at Stamford Bridge while the Gunners travel to Ukraine to face Vorskla, and three points would be enough for either team to guarantee top spot in their pool.
Elsewhere, Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers return to Europe, but Steven Gerrard's Ibrox side have the tougher task as they prepare to welcome Villarreal to Glasgow. The Hoops' trip to meet Rosenborg in Norway looks simpler in comparison.
We'll also be treated to a Group H collision between Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille at the Commerzbank-Arena in what promises to be a decisive evening in the Europa League.
Thursday's Schedule (Predictions)
Group G (3:50 p.m. GMT): Spartak Moscow vs. Rapid Wien (2-1)
Group K (3:50 p.m. GMT): Astana vs. Dynamo Kiev (2-2)
Group A (5:55 p.m. GMT): Bayer Leverkusen vs. Ludogorets Razgrad*** (2-0), Zurich vs. Larnaca (2-1)
Group B (5:55 p.m. GMT): Salzburg vs. RB Leipzig (2-2), Rosenborg vs. Celtic** (0-1)
Group C (5:55 p.m. GMT): Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Copenhagen (1-1), Bordeaux vs. Slavia Prague (2-1)
Group D (5:55 p.m. GMT): Fenerbahce vs. Dinamo Zagreb (1-1), Anderlecht vs. Spartak Trnava (1-0)
Group E (5:55 p.m. GMT): Vorskla vs. Arsenal* (0-4), Qarabag vs. Sporting CP (1-3)
Group F (5:55 p.m. GMT): Real Betis vs. Olympiakos (2-0), AC Milan vs Dudelange*** (3-0)
Group J (5:55 p.m. GMT): Krasnodar vs. Akhisar (3-1)
Group L (5:55 p.m. GMT): BATE vs Vidi (1-1)
Group G (8 p.m. GMT): Rangers vs. Villarreal** (2-2)
Group H (8 p.m. GMT): Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Marseille*** (3-2), Apollon vs. Lazio (0-2)
Group I (8 p.m. GMT): Sarpsborg vs. Besiktas (2-1), Malmo vs. Genk (1-1)
Group J (8 p.m. GMT): Standard Liege vs. Sevilla (2-2)
Group K (8 p.m. GMT): Jablonec vs. Rennes (0-1)
Group L (8 p.m. GMT): Chelsea vs. PAOK* (2-0)
*BT Sport 2
**BT Sport 3
***BT Sport Extra
B/R Live provides UEFA Europa League live-stream coverage, while fuboTV and Univision Deportes will also provide coverage in the United States. Viewers in the United Kingdom can tune in via the BT Sport app.
Selected Match Odds
Salzburg (47-17), Draw (58-19), RB Leipzig (19-20)
Rosenborg (19-5), Draw (16-5), Celtic (8-11)
Vorskla (4-1), Draw (49-18), Arsenal (5-6)
Real Betis (13-19), Draw (29-10), Olympiakos (24-5)
Rangers (13-5), Draw (27-10), Villarreal (9-8)
Eintracht Frankfurt (4-5), Draw (57-17), Marseille (57-17)
Standard Liege (7-2), Draw (3-1), Sevilla (5-6)
Chelsea (1-3), Draw (5-1), PAOK (11-1)
Matchday 5 odds in full via Oddschecker.
Preview
Chelsea will be asked to respond positively in Europe after a disappointing trip to Wembley Stadium on Saturday, when they suffered their first defeat under Maurizio Sarri, a 3-1 hammering by Tottenham Hotspur.
That result could have been much worse for the Blues, but Greek Superleague side PAOK represent a prime opportunity to bounce back swiftly by securing first place in Group L.
Chelsea are six points ahead of second-placed Vidi and still have to travel to Hungary next month, but a point against PAOK would be enough to take top spot if Vidi don't beat BATE Borisov on Thursday.
One player who might not feature at Stamford Bridge is under-fire centre-back David Luiz, who attracted criticism for his performance against Spurs, particularly when he moved out of the way of a shot:
Arsenal are in better spirits as they prepare to face Vorskla in Ukraine after winning their two other Europa League road games this season and keeping a clean sheet in both.
However, journalist Sam Dean showed how Thursday's visit to eastern Europe could be problematic:
Unai Emery's squad will qualify as Group E winners with a victory, and they will also be assured of first place if FK Qarabag pull off an upset and beat Sporting CP.
This could be a chance for the Gunners manager to hand some experience to his fringe players, particularly after Arsenal fought their way to a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday.
One fixture sure to grab attention on Thursday sees bottom side Marseille travel to Group H opponents Eintracht Frankfurt, who are 11 points ahead of them in the standings.
The French club can no longer qualify for the round of 32, and the Bundesliga side have a number of attacking threats in fine form:
Frankfurt are one of only four teams to have won all their Europa League games this season, and they will want to add another three points to their tally before closing the Group H campaign with a trip to second-placed Lazio.