#europa-league

#europa-league

Rotterdam has a special place in the hearts of Aston Villa supporters. Villa won the European Cup at De Kuip in 1982 thanks to Peter Withe's strike off his shin and the post and a stellar goalkeeping performance from young substitute Nigel Spink. Bayern Munich were their opponents that night and they return on Thursday to take on Feyenoord in the Europa League.

Reported Celtic target Louis Munteanu's asking price has been significantly reduced, it has been claimed, while Dundee head coach Steven Pressley is already planning January signings. Cluj would now accept less than 4.5m for 23-year-old striker Louis Munteanu, for whom Celtic reportedly had a 6.9m bid rejected in the summer before the Romanian club claimed a 17m transfer to Ajax or Valencia fell through, according to FCSB owner George Becali.

They're a very, very strong team individually - especially on the wings," left-back Emir Karic said of Rangers, who lost 1-0 at home to Genk on Matchday 1.

There are few mascots in world football as instantly recognisable as Mefi the eagle of OGC Nice, who mirrors the club's crest and performs a dramatic flight around the Allianz Riviera before kick-off. The spectacle was once again on show ahead of Nice's Europa League clash with AS Roma on Thursday, but what was supposed to be a display of power and pride quickly turned into a far more comical scene.

Hearts chief executive Andrew McKinlay believes his club could win the Scottish Premiership "at some point". (Herald - subscription required), external Celtic captain Callum McGregor plays down Hearts' promising start to the season after the Tynecastle side moved two points above the defending champions at the top of the Premiership, saying: "Anyone can get off to a good start. Aberdeen did it last year." (Record), external McGregor suggests the table will be more relevant after 36 games rather than six.

Four draws and a defeat has Martin's side one point behind their West Lothian hosts - albeit having played a game fewer - in their worst league start in 48 years. Rangers are winless in six league games - stretching back into last season - (D5 L1), the joint-longest run in their entire history (level with six other runs of six, most recently in December 2005).

Former Chelsea and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud scored 10 minutes from time for Lille as they beat Brann 2-1 in the Europa League. Giroud, who joined from Los Angeles FC in the summer and turns 39 next week, got on the end of a cross from Tiago Santos to get the French side off to a winning start in the competition.

The 2025-26 Europa League gets fully under way this week - with the unusual format of nine matches taking place on Wednesday night. Nottingham Forest and Celtic are among the 18 teams in action on the opening night, while Aston Villa and Rangers begin their campaigns in the more traditional Thursday night slot. Much like the Champions League's return last week, the upcoming matches are part of an exclusive week for the Europa League, with no Champions League or Conference League fixtures scheduled.

Starting with the hosts, while Real Betis might have suffered major Europa Conference League heartbreak back on May 28th as they fell to a 4-1 drumming against Chelsea over in Poland, Manuel Pellegrini's men haven't shown any signs of a hangover this time around. Last seen over the weekend putting in a thumping performance as they cruised their way to a 3-1 victory at home against Real Sociedad,

Arsenal open their Champions League campaign at Athletic Bilbao tonight. The Gunners reached the semi-finals last year, losing to Paris Saint-Germain, and will hope to go at least one better having bolstered their squad over the summer. Athletic, last season's Europa League semi-finalists, have made a strong start to the Liga season but lost at home to Alaves at the weekend.

It's the ultimate Fulham quiz: how well do you know the Whites? We're bringing you 40 questions on everything, from the nationalities of Craven Cottage's finest, to the legendary run to the Europa League final, with the only quiz you'll ever need on Fulham. Want to make this quiz a little easier? Sign in to FourFourTwo, and we'll remove one of the options.

He produced a man-of-the-match display in the final. Romero was linked with a summer exit He was heavily linked with a summer exit, but Tottenham have managed to keep him at the club. The player has now revealed that if he ever decides to return to Argentina, it will be with Belgrano. He came through the ranks at the South American club before moving to Genova.