#europa-league

#europa-league

The reality is we were not able to cope with the intensity. First half was difficult, we were not able to come out of the pressure. It wasn't easy for my players. I don't like to talk about luck. The first goal didn't help us. The second half was better. I cannot tell you [the players] didn't try, they tried. I'm not concerned, I really liked the reaction. They deserve at least to score one goal and the dynamic could change.

Basel: Hitz, Tsunemoto, Adjetey, Daniliuc, Schmid, Metinho, Leroy, Bacanin, Traore, Shaqiri, Otele. Subs: Salvi, Pfeiffer, Vouilloz, Koindredi, Broschinski, Soticek, Salah, Ajeti, Barisic, Ruegg, Cisse, Ze. Aston Villa: Bizot, Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Digne, Bogarde, Onana, Guessand, Buendia, Sancho, Malen. Subs: Wright, Oakley, McGinn, Tielemans, Watkins, Garcia, Maatsen, Rogers, Kamara, Hemmings. Celtic: Schmeichel, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, Yang, McGregor, Engels, Tounekti, Nygren, Maeda, Hatate. Subs: Sinisalo, Doohan, Balikwisha, McCowan, Iheanacho, Kenny, Bernardo, Murray, Donovan, Ralston. Roma: Svilar, Mancini, N'Dicka, Hermoso, Celik, Soule, El Aynaoui, Rensch, Pisilli, El Shaarawy, Ferguson. Subs: De Marzi, Gollini, Angelino, Cristante, Pellegrini, Tsimikas, Kone, Dybala, Ziolkowski, Bailey, Franca, Ghilardi.

Best odds: 17/14 Bookmaker: BetUS Celtic and Roma collide at Celtic Park on Thursday evening in a pivotal Europa League clash, with both sides eager to strengthen their chances of reaching the knockout stage. Separated by just two points in the standings, neither team is assured of a top-24 finish, adding extra weight to this first-ever competitive meeting. The only time they faced each other before was a friendly match back in July 2004, which Roma won as Giallorossi icon Francesco Totti scored the only goal of the game.

"I want to apologise for my behaviour yesterday," Edvardsen said on Thursday. "Things were said and done between us that do not belong on a football pitch."

Eventually falling to a worrying 4-2 loss at home against Nijmegen, it appears that Robin van Persie has some serious pressure mounting on his shoulders at De Kuip. Heading into November's fortnight interval with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Go Ahead Eagles, the former Arsenal skipper has seen his downbeat squad lose all of their previous three appearances across all competitions by an aggregate score of 8-3.

Police have arrested 11 people during heated demonstrations in advance of the politically charged Europa League match between Aston Villa and Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham. Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters gathered outside the stadium to protest on Thursday evening, but despite the tensions, the game went ahead without major disruptions. list of 4 itemsend of list The match, in which the hosts beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0, at Villa Park in Birmingham, was held under an enormous security operation.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissokho urged his teammates to make their supporters smile against Aston Villa, after away fans were banned from the politically charged Europa League match on Thursday. The Israeli club's fans were prohibited from attending on public safety grounds but, despite the ban, West Midlands police have been granted section 60 stop-and-search powers and plan to deploy more than 700 officers around Villa Park to cope with protests and potential unrest.

Jurgen Säumel's side sit three points behind leaders Red Bull Salzburg with a game in hand, yet recent domestic form has been worrying-two straight defeats to Wolfsberger (3-1) and Rapid Wien (2-1) despite leading at halftime in the latter. In Europe, Sturm Graz have collected just three points from their opening three matches, beating Rangers 2-1 at home but losing to Midtjylland (2-0) and Celtic (2-1).

When Maccabi Tel Aviv were drawn to face Aston Villa in the Europa League, the fixture immediately stood out. The prospect of an Israeli team travelling to play a club based in a predominantly Muslim area prompted concerns from those in charge of ensuring the fixture passes off safely. Six weeks ago, there was even a chance the game might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.