Nice welcome AS Roma to the Allianz Riviera
OGC Nice welcome AS Roma to the Allianz Riviera this evening as both clubs launch their Europa League campaigns.
The Ligue 1 side return to continental football hoping to banish the memory of last season’s disappointment, while the Serie A outfit arrive under Gian Piero Gasperini with renewed belief and the pedigree of recent European success.
Nice have endured a stuttering start to the 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign, collecting just six points from their opening five games to sit 12th in the table.
Franck Haise’s men were thrashed 4-1 by Brest last time out, leaving them with three defeats already on the board.
Their overall record across all competitions is even more concerning, with only two wins in seven outings, during which they have scored six goals and conceded 13.
Roma, by contrast, enter this fixture with momentum. The Giallorossi have won three of their opening four Serie A matches to sit fourth in the standings, with their most recent triumph being a 1-0 derby victory over Lazio.
European competition has often provided Roma with their greatest moments in recent seasons; they lifted the Europa Conference League in 2022, reached the Europa League final in 2023, and now embark on another continental adventure aiming to go deep once again.
Roma should have enough quality to edge this tie, though Nice are capable of making it competitive on home soil.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Dinamo Zagreb host Turkish giants Fenerbahce
Croatian heavyweights Dinamo Zagreb welcome Turkish giants Fenerbahce to Stadion Maksimir on Wednesday night, with both sides eager to launch their UEFA Europa League campaigns on the right note.
This will be only the third meeting between the clubs, and the hosts hold fond memories of their last encounter here – a resounding 4-1 victory in the 2018-19 Europa League group stage opener.
They also boast an impressive Europa League record – losing just two of 19 group-stage games since December 2014, while keeping 10 clean sheets, and their last appearance in this competition’s group stage, in 2021-22, ended in progress to the knockout round play-offs, where they narrowly lost 3-2 on aggregate to Sevilla.
History favours the hosts, as Dinamo have never lost to Fenerbahce in Europe, winning one and drawing one of their two previous meetings, while their overall record against Turkish opposition is balanced, with two wins, two draws, and two defeats.
Fenerbahce, meanwhile, carry an unbeaten run of four away games in the Europa League (two wins, two draws), a streak they last bettered in 2012-13 (six matches) when they reached the semi-finals.
However, the Yellow Canaries are navigating a period of transition, having recently appointed Domenico Tedesco after Jose Mourinho’s dismissal.
Both teams bring plenty of firepower into this clash, with Fenerbahce boasting several European household names – however, Dinamo Zagreb can lean on their home advantage and the psychological boost of having defeated the Yellow Canaries at this very ground in the past.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Nottingham Forest travel to Spain to face Real Betis
Nottingham Forest will play their first European match in 29 years when they travel to Spain for Europa League meeting with Real Betis at La Cartuja.
Ange Postecoglou is searching for his first win as Forest boss, while Manuel Pellegrini‘s side are looking to claim back-to-back victories.
Betis are competing in the Europa League after collecting 60 points from 38 matches to finish in sixth place in La Liga last term.
Los Verdiblancos will be dreaming of going one better than last season’s Conference League Campaign, which saw them reach their first European final before losing 4-1 to Chelsea.
Pellegrini’s side have now won two, drawn three and lost one of their six league matches this season, with their nine-point tally leaving them in sixth position.
Nottingham Forest are set to compete in European competition for the first time since being knocked out of the UEFA Cup quarter-final by Bayern Munich in 1995-96.
Nuno Espirito Santo was the man who ended Forest’s wait for European football, steering them to a seventh-place finish and Conference League qualification last term, before they were upgraded to the Europa League following Crystal Palace’s demotion.
However, Nuno will not have the honour of overseeing Forest’s return to Europe after being dismissed earlier this month following a breakdown in his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Forest would love nothing more than to make a winning return to European competition, but they will be aware that they face a tough task as an away side against a strong La Liga team, and with that in mind, we think they may have to settle for a point in Wednesday’s Europa League fixture.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Braga, Feyenoord lock horns in Europa League
Braga and Feyenoord will lock horns for the first time as both sides launch their 2025-26 Europa League campaign with a meeting at Estadio Municipal de Braga today.
The Archbishops secured their place in the competition proper via the qualifying path, while the Dutch visitors dropped down from the Champions League preliminaries.
Coincidentally, Braga’s most recent triumph came in the Europa League play-offs when they swept aside Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps with a 5-1 away victory, sealing a 9-1 aggregate success to punch their ticket to the league phase.
This will be Braga’s 12th appearance in the competition proper since 2009-10, second only to Ajax with 13, and the Portuguese side will be eager to go one better after last season’s disappointment when goal difference denied them a place in the knockouts.
Encouragement can also be drawn from their last duel with Dutch opposition in 2015-16 when they edged Groningen 1-0 at home before earning a goalless draw away in the group stage.
Feyenoord travel with belief of their own, having won two of their last three continental meetings with Portuguese opposition, as many as they managed in their previous 10 attempts (D3, L5).
Braga have looked short of conviction in recent outings, but Feyenoord’s long-standing struggles on the road in this competition leave little to separate them, so a score draw looks the most likely outcome.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Fixtures
Dinamo Zagreb 20:00 Fenerbahçe
Malmö FF 20:00 Ludogorets Razgrad
Real Betis 20:00 Nottingham Forest
Red Star Belgrade 20:00 Celtic
Sporting Braga 20:00 Feyenoord
The post Today’s UEFA Europa League Fixtures & Previews appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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