From an Austrian perspective, the main focus is on Graz, where Sturm face Stade Rennes and immediately come up against opposition from one of Europe’s top leagues. Elsewhere, AC Milan against SL Benfica and Anderlecht against Lyon are two of the standout fixtures.
Sturm vs Rennes: A major test from the outset
Sturm Graz head into Europe on the back of a positive result. Fabio Ingolitsch’s side beat LASK 2-1 on Sunday and have collected three wins, two draws and one defeat from their opening six Bundesliga matches. Before that, however, they suffered a setback in a 3-1 defeat to Rapid. In Europe, Sturm missed out on the Champions League league phase after two defeats against Fenerbahçe and now face a demanding opening assignment in the Europa League.
The personnel situation makes that task even more difficult. Emran Soglo is set to miss several weeks with a thigh muscle injury, while Seedy Jatta has already undergone surgery after suffering a serious shoulder injury against LASK. Leon Grgic also remains unavailable following his major knee injury. Jatta’s absence is particularly significant at a time when the Norwegian had re-established himself as an important attacking option, scoring twice in the league. Nelson Weiper is another striker set to miss out and is reportedly undergoing rehabilitation in Frankfurt.
Rennes, by contrast, arrive in impressive early-season form. The Breton side are unbeaten after four Ligue 1 matches and have taken ten points from a possible twelve. They opened with a 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain before beating Le Mans, Angers and, most recently, Olympique Marseille 1-0. Sturm therefore face a side with greater individual quality and a much more consistent start to the season. The Austrians can at least rely on home advantage – and on the confidence gained from Sunday’s win over LASK.
Milan and Benfica meet in top form
The most high-profile fixture of the evening takes place at San Siro. AC Milan remain unbeaten in Serie A under Rúben Amorim. Wins against Torino and Venezia were followed by draws against Juventus and Lazio. The recent 2-2 in Rome showed both sides of the Rossoneri: Milan went into half-time 2-0 down before substitute Diego Moreira scored twice to rescue a point. Amorim is expected to have a fully fit squad available against Benfica, although the heavy schedule may still prompt rotation in several positions.
Benfica arrive in Italy with even greater momentum. After a 2-2 draw on the opening league weekend, Marco Silva’s side have won five consecutive domestic matches. Gil Vicente were beaten 3-1 most recently, with leading scorer Vangelis Pavlidis finding the net twice. The Portuguese side also navigated Europa League qualifying convincingly in the end: after an initial defeat to St. Gallen, they responded with emphatic wins over the Swiss side, Hearts and Aarhus. Alexander Bah is the only major absentee in Milan, leaving Benfica without an important option at right-back. On current form, two of the strongest teams in the entire competition meet on almost level terms.
Leverkusen clear favourites against Celje
The picture is much more straightforward in Leverkusen. Bayer have not made the perfect start to the Bundesliga season and sit on four points after three matches, but their 4-0 win over Union Berlin already showed what the team is capable of. Most recently, Carles Martínez’s side were held to a 2-2 draw in Augsburg. Even so, Leverkusen are clear favourites against Celje.
Their injury situation is not entirely straightforward. Nathan Tella is sidelined with back problems, Ibrahim Maza missed the final training session through illness and is doubtful, while Eliesse Ben Seghir is also a question mark because of a thigh issue. Celje, meanwhile, travel to Germany in the middle of a crisis. Four of their past five competitive matches have ended in defeat and the Slovenian champions have dropped to seventh place domestically. Coach Vitor Campelos was dismissed immediately before the European campaign, meaning successor Zoran Zeljkovic will make his debut in charge in Leverkusen. Andrej Kotnik is also suspended.
Lyon travel to Brussels as favourites
Another intriguing fixture sees Anderlecht host Olympique Lyon. The Belgian record champions have made an inconsistent start to their domestic campaign and sit in mid-table with ten points from six matches. Vítor Bruno’s side have, however, stabilised considerably of late: Anderlecht kept three consecutive clean sheets against Kortrijk, Genk and Mechelen and collected seven points from those games.
The defence is nevertheless weakened by injuries. Lucas Hey, Ilay Camara and Killian Sardella are all unavailable, while Giulian Biancone was forced off early with a thigh injury in the recent win at Mechelen. Lyon arrive in Brussels in the stronger position. The French side are also unbeaten after four Ligue 1 rounds, have collected eight points and conceded only two goals. Their squad was strengthened significantly in the summer with the likes of Loïs Openda, Mads Bidstrup and Austrian centre-back Felix Bacher. Abner Vinícius is unavailable, but Paulo Fonseca otherwise has plenty of options. Lyon possess greater individual quality overall, although Anderlecht’s recent defensive organisation could keep the contest finely balanced.
The opening night of the league phase therefore already offers several potentially significant match-ups. For Sturm, taking a point against an in-form Rennes side would represent a valuable start and, given the absences, something of a minor upset. Milan and Benfica, meanwhile, have an early opportunity to put some distance between themselves and a direct rival from the wider group of title contenders. Leverkusen, by contrast, face the kind of fixture they are expected to win – for the Werkself, three points on matchday one are almost a must.
All Europa League fixtures on Wednesday
18:45: Ararat-Armenia – Sparta Prague18:45: Omonia Nicosia – Celta Vigo
21:00: AC Milan – SL Benfica
21:00: Bayer Leverkusen – NK Celje
21:00: Hapoel Be’er Sheva – GNK Dinamo Zagreb
21:00: Olympiacos – Jagiellonia Białystok
21:00: RSC Anderlecht – Olympique Lyon
21:00: SK Sturm Graz – Stade Rennes
21:00: Sunderland AFC – AZ Alkmaar
