Thursday's Europa League predictions including Leicester City vs. Napoli

Midtjylland vs. Ludogorets (Thursday, 5.45pm)

In the opening round of fixtures in this year's Europa League, FC Midtjylland will play host to Ludogorets Razgrad on Thursday.

Both sides went through the qualification rounds for the Champions League, but fell short and now find themselves in Group F of Europe's secondary competition.

We say: FC Midtjylland 2-1 Ludogorets Razgrad

Despite the visitors going a stage further in qualifying for the Champions League, Midtjylland arguably boast the stronger squad, and we back them to get over the line with home advantage.

The game could certainly go either way, but the hosts' well-rounded squad should have enough quality to start with a positive result.

Red Star vs. Braga (Thursday, 5.45pm)

Red Star Belgrade and Braga will kick off their Europa League group campaigns on Thursday, when they square off in Serbia.

The hosts came through qualification to reach the group stage, while their visitors earned automatic progression after finishing fourth in the Portuguese top flight and winning the Taca de Portugal last season.

We say: Red Star Belgrade 2-0 Braga

While Braga may tend to fancy themselves in this group, they do not come into Thursday's clash in inspiring form, and could be handed a defeat.

Os Arcebispos have struggled to trouble teams going forward, while their hosts will look to create a hostile atmosphere, and we see the Serbian champions getting past their visitors in relatively dominant fashion.

Galatasaray vs. Lazio (Thursday, 5.45pm)

After trying and failing to book their place in the Champions League, Galatasaray kick off their Europa League campaign with a home clash against Serie A powerhouses Lazio on Thursday.

The Turkish side overcame Randers in the qualifying playoff round to advance to Group E, while Lazio qualified based on their sixth-placed league finish in the Italian top flight last term.

We say: Galatasaray 0-2 Lazio

Neither Galatasaray nor Lazio got the result they were hoping for in league action at the weekend, and the loss of Kilinc is a bitter blow to the hosts on the attacking front.

While Sarri may ponder some changes in midweek, his visiting side should still have more than enough firepower to get the job done with a clean sheet to boot.

Lokomotiv vs. Marseille (Thursday, 5.45pm)

Marseille's return to the European stage begins on Thursday in Europa League Group E, where Lokomotiv Moscow are waiting to welcome Les Olympiens to the RZD Arena.

Both teams claimed 2-0 domestic wins at the weekend ahead of this encounter, with the hosts beating Krylya Sovetov while Marseille came up trumps at Monaco.

We say: Lokomotiv Moscow 1-2 Marseille

Marseille would normally be expected to struggle for goals without Payet and Milik leading the charge, but Sampaoli's squad depth in midfield and attack is truly enviable, even if their defence is not always watertight.

With Lokomotiv also enjoying an unbeaten start to their league season, this is sure to be a hotly-contested affair, but we expect Marseille's abundance of talent in the final third to propel them to victory.

B. Leverkusen vs. Ferencvaros (Thursday, 5.45pm)

Bayer Leverkusen welcome Ferencvaros to the BayArena on Thursday evening for their opening Group G clash in the Europa League.

This is the first ever European encounter between the two clubs and the first trip to Germany for the visitors since November 2004.

We say: Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Ferencvaros

With two attack-minded sides locking horns on Thursday night, goals are to be expected at the BayArena.

However, we can see the hosts - the clear favourites for this contest - running out as comfortable winners against their Hungarian opposition.

Real Betis vs. Celtic (Thursday, 5.45pm)

Scottish giants Celtic travel to Spanish outfit Real Betis for their opening Group G clash in the Europa League on Thursday night.

This will be the first ever European meeting between the two sides and the La Liga club's first ever game against a Scottish opponent.

We say: Real Betis 2-1 Celtic

Celtic have scored in each of their last 14 Europa League matches, while Betis have conceded in eight of their last nine league games, including results from last season.

The Hoops will fancy their chances on Thursday night, although they will come up against a well-drilled Betis outfit who will also be confident of claiming all three points.

Goals are to be expected at the Estadio Benito Villamarin and we can see the hosts securing a slender victory on home soil.

Dinamo Zagreb vs. West Ham (Thursday, 5.45pm)

West Ham United will kick off their Europa League campaign on Thursday, as they make the trip to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb.

The Hammers achieved automatic qualification after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season, while their hosts fell short in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League

We say: Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 West Ham United

In what should certainly be a closely-fought encounter, we see Thursday's game finishing level in a result that will be relatively pleasing to both sides.

The firepower of West Ham's front line should see them escape with a result, despite Moyes potentially calling on several squad players.

Rapid Vienna vs. Genk (Thursday, 5.45pm)

As the Europa League group stage kicks off on Thursday, Genk will make the trip to Austria to take on Rapid Vienna.

The hosts progressed through qualification to reach this stage, while their visitors dropped into the Europa League after suffering a defeat in the Champions League third qualifying round.

We say: Rapid Vienna 1-1 Genk

In what should certainly be a closely-fought encounter, we cannot quite pick a winner on Thursday.

Both sides have demonstrated impressive attacking prowess, but we do not quite see either taking the game by the scruff of the neck, instead opting for a draw with both finding the net.

Rangers vs. Lyon (Thursday, 8.00pm)

Scottish Premiership champions Rangers will host Ligue 1 giants Lyon in their opening Group A clash of the Europa League on Thursday night.

The two sides last faced each other in the 2007-08 Champions League group stages, and on both occasions the away side won 3-0.

We say: Rangers 1-2 Lyon

Both sides have seemingly turned a corner after a slight blip in the early stages of the new campaign, and will now be keen to build on their improved form by securing all three points in their opening Group A clash.

Even though Rangers will have close to 50,000 roaring supporters behind them at Ibrox, we feel that the attacking threat Lyon possess will cause the hosts problems on Thursday.

Brondby vs. Sparta Prague (Thursday, 8.00pm)

Brondby and Sparta Prague will lock horns for the very first time when they do battle in their opening Group A encounter of the Europa League on Thursday night.

The visitors lost two of their three group-stage matches on the road last season, while the hosts are looking for their first win in major European competition since November 2005.

We say: Brondby 1-2 Sparta Prague

Both Brondby and Sparta Prague will view this fixture as their best chance of claiming all three points, as they aim to kickstart their Europa League campaign in positive fashion.

A closely-fought contest is set to be played out at the Brondby Stadion, though we feel that the visitors will do enough to claim a slender victory in Denmark.

PSV vs. Real Sociedad (Thursday, 8.00pm)

PSV Eindhoven and Real Sociedad meet at the Philips Stadion on Thursday evening as they look to start their Group B campaign with maximum points.

The home side have dropped into this competition after losing in the Champions League playoff round, while Sociedad earned their spot in the Europa League through finishing in fifth place in La Liga last season.

We say: PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Real Sociedad

With Monaco potentially emerging as the biggest threat in the group, neither of these two sides will want to lose their opening fixture.

With that in mind, we would not be surprised to see a competitive draw play out, one which will satisfy both managers.

Monaco vs. Sturm Graz (Thursday, 8.00pm)

Monaco head into their Europa League fixture with Sturm Graz looking for a change of fortunes after a disappointing start to the season.

While Nico Kovac's side missed out on qualifying for the Champions League group stages, Sturm Graz are competing at this stage of a European competition for the first time in a decade.

We say: Monaco 3-1 Sturm Graz

Graz will fancy their chances of capitalising on Monaco's poor results of late, particularly with the pressure increasing on Kovac.

Nevertheless, we still expect the home side to come through with all three points in a match which should be easy on the eye.

Leicester vs. Napoli (Thursday, 8.00pm)

Kicking off their Europa League campaign by hosting Italian giants Napoli on Thursday, Leicester City will meet one of their fellow favourites to lift the trophy next spring.

While the Foxes go into the game following defeat to English champions Manchester City, their Neapolitan visitors were able to beat old rivals Juventus with a late goal which preserves their perfect Serie A record.

We say: Leicester City 2-2 Napoli

An open game is in prospect on Thursday night, as both sides prefer to go forward and are usually capable of slicing open even the tightest defences.

Though Leicester have stuttered in the final third of late, the bright lights of a European night - and perhaps a change of attacking personnel - can help them secure a draw against their toughest Group C opponents.

Olympiacos vs. Antwerp (Thursday, 8.00pm)

Olympiacos welcome Royal Antwerp to the Karaiskakis Stadium for the opening game of the 2021-22 Europa League on Thursday evening.

Both sides successfully navigated the qualifying round but will be looking to improve on disappointing starts to their respective league campaigns as they meet for the very first time.