The Europa League gets underway on September 16 with nine matches. AC Milan vs Benfica is the standout fixture, Sunderland return to European football, Bayer Leverkusen have a favourable opener, and Rennes head to Graz after a strong start to the season.
We picked out five matches worth keeping a closer eye on, along with the latest odds from 888STARZ.
Odds are correct at the time of writing and may change before kick-off.
AC Milan vs Benfica
The biggest game of the night.
Milan begin their European campaign at home, but Benfica are hardly the kind of side you simply expect to beat on reputation alone. The Portuguese club have already come through qualifying, so they arrive with more European match rhythm behind them.
That is reflected in a fairly tight market.
888STARZ odds:
Milan — 2.14 | Draw — 3.65 | Benfica — 3.47
Milan are favourites, but only just. Odds of 2.14 on the home side tell you straight away that this is far from a one-sided matchup.
Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar
For Sunderland, the occasion itself is a big deal.
The club are back in European competition after a long absence and get to start at home. AZ are far more used to this stage and have regularly featured in European qualifying in recent seasons, but they still travel to England as clear underdogs.
888STARZ odds:
Sunderland — 1.74 | Draw — 4.08 | AZ Alkmaar — 4.74
1.74 on Sunderland is a fairly strong vote of confidence. The interesting part will be seeing whether Premier League intensity is enough against a side with much more recent European experience.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Celje
This one is more straightforward.
Leverkusen are at home to Celje and have the shortest price among our five featured matches.
888STARZ odds:
Leverkusen — 1.22 | Draw — 7.35 | Celje — 13.30
The gap is huge. Leverkusen are expected not just to win, but to win comfortably. Anything else would immediately become one of the biggest stories of the round.
Anderlecht vs Lyon
Anderlecht have one useful advantage going into this game: they have already played a full European qualifying campaign and arrive at the league phase with competitive continental minutes in their legs.
Even so, Lyon are the favourites.
888STARZ odds:
Anderlecht — 3.57 | Draw — 3.78 | Lyon — 2.06
2.06 on Lyon away from home is not especially short, which feels about right. The French side look stronger on paper, but Brussels is not an easy place to expect a routine three points.
Sturm Graz vs Rennes
Rennes have started well in Ligue 1 and now get the chance to see whether that form carries over into Europe.
Their first trip takes them to Graz, where Sturm tend to play aggressively and rarely give opponents much time to settle on the ball.
888STARZ odds:
Sturm Graz — 3.71 | Draw — 3.97 | Rennes — 1.96
Rennes are favourites, but not by a huge margin. A price of 1.96 suggests an edge rather than a major gulf between the teams.
All Europa League Matches on September 16
Alongside the five featured games, four more matches are scheduled for Wednesday:
| Match | Home | Draw | Away |
| Ararat-Armenia vs Sparta Prague | 5.24 | 4.18 | 1.66 |
| Omonia vs Celta Vigo | 4.28 | 3.47 | 1.96 |
| Olympiacos vs Jagiellonia | 1.40 | 4.94 | 8.75 |
| Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb | 3.68 | 3.87 | 2.00 |
Olympiacos stand out most clearly from this group at 1.40 to win at home. Sparta Prague are also strong favourites, while the other two fixtures leave much more room for an upset.
The main storylines are easy to spot: Milan vs Benfica as the headline game, Sunderland’s return to Europe, Leverkusen’s heavy-favourite status and two interesting away tests for French clubs.
We’ll come back to the same matches after the final whistle and see where the 888STARZ line read the game correctly — and where football had other ideas.
UEFA Champions League