Matchday 4 of the 2026-27 Europa League league phase arrives on Thursday, 5 November, with all 18 fixtures kicking off in two waves — 18:45 and 21:00 CET. Three matchdays in, the 36-team table has already separated into clear tiers: a small group still unbeaten, a chasing pack jostling for the automatic knockout spots, and a handful of sides already searching for answers. That makes this round pivotal rather than routine.
We covered the opening weeks in our Matchday 1 recap and Matchday 2 predictions. This preview goes match-by-match through the Matchday 4 slate, built on team news, head-to-head context and where each club actually sits in the standings — not on prices.
Why There’s No Odds Table This Week
A quick note on approach before the previews. Several Matchday 4 fixtures — AZ Alkmaar vs Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen vs Marseille among them — are first-ever competitive meetings between the two clubs, and multiple betting data providers had not yet priced those markets at the time of writing. Rather than publish a number we can’t stand behind, we’ve built this preview entirely around verified form, table position and squad news. If that changes closer to kick-off, we’ll update accordingly.
The Full Matchday 4 Fixture List
All times CET, Thursday 5 November, according to UEFA.com‘s official league phase schedule.
- 18:45: AC Milan vs Ferencváros
- 18:45: Sparta Prague vs AFC Bournemouth
- 18:45: Crystal Palace vs TSG Hoffenheim
- 18:45: Lillestrøm vs Viktoria Plzeň
- 18:45: NEC Nijmegen vs Omonia Nicosia
- 18:45: Levski Sofia vs Jagiellonia Białystok
- 18:45: Real Sociedad vs Lyon
- 18:45: Anderlecht vs RB Salzburg
- 18:45: Stade Rennais vs Olympiacos
- 21:00: AZ Alkmaar vs Juventus
- 21:00: Bayer Leverkusen vs Marseille
- 21:00: Celtic vs Beşiktaş
- 21:00: Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs OFI Crete
- 21:00: Celta Vigo vs Union Saint-Gilloise
- 21:00: Torreense vs Ararat-Armenia
- 21:00: Sturm Graz vs NK Celje
- 21:00: Benfica vs Lech Poznań
- 21:00: Sunderland vs GNK Dinamo Zagreb
Where the Table Stands After Matchday 3
Five clubs arrive at Matchday 4 with a perfect record: Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, AFC Bournemouth, Ferencváros and Olympiacos have all won three from three, putting them on course for a top-eight finish and a direct run to the Round of 16 without a play-off. Leverkusen’s record stands out in particular — eight goals scored, zero conceded. At the other end, Marseille and Celtic are both still on zero points after three defeats, which turns both of their Matchday 4 fixtures into early-season must-wins.
Match-by-Match Preview
AC Milan vs Ferencváros
Milan host a Ferencváros side that has won all three of its league-phase games, the Hungarian champions sitting among the competition’s form teams heading into San Siro. Milan’s own campaign has been uneven — a heavy 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Matchday 3 leaves them needing a reaction rather than a coast. With Ferencváros yet to drop a point, this is one of the more lopsided-on-paper tests of the round, and Milan’s response to that Bournemouth result will say plenty about where this squad is right now.
AZ Alkmaar vs Juventus
A historic first: AZ and Juventus have never met in a competitive fixture before, so there’s no head-to-head to lean on. Juventus arrive unbeaten through three (a 5-0 opening win, a narrow away win at Celta, a draw at home to Rennes), while AZ have been solid since an opening 1-0 loss to Sunderland, following up with victories over Hapoel Be’er-Sheva and away at Ararat-Armenia. AZ’s home form and Juventus’s unbeaten run make this one of the more intriguing pot-mismatches on the card.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Marseille
Leverkusen’s defensive record — zero goals conceded in three Europa League matches — is the standout number of the entire league phase so far, and they’ve won five straight across all competitions heading into this one. Marseille, by contrast, are winless and pointless after three, including a 1-0 defeat at Sturm Graz on Matchday 3 that extended what French media has described as a continuing European slump. On current form, this looks like one of the more one-sided fixtures of the round.
Real Sociedad vs Lyon
Real Sociedad come into this one managing a genuinely lengthy injury list — Yangel Herrera (calf), Jon Aramburu (muscle), Álvaro Odriozola (cruciate ligament) and Luken Beitia (ankle) among those affected, with Pablo Marín also suspended. Igor Zubeldia has at least returned to training after a hamstring issue, though match fitness may limit him to a substitute role initially. Mikel Oyarzabal remains the attacking focal point and has found form domestically in recent weeks. Lyon sit above Sociedad in the table on points but have conceded six goals in three games, so this is far from a clean defensive matchup on either side.
Celtic vs Beşiktaş
This is the pressure fixture of Matchday 4. Celtic have lost all three league-phase games so far — 1-3 to Ferencváros, 1-4 to Benfica, and 2-1 to Celta Vigo at Parkhead — leaving them bottom of the 36-team table on zero points. Interim boss Martin O’Neill has publicly maintained that qualification is still possible, but a fourth straight defeat would make that a very steep climb. Beşiktaş travel unbeaten through three matches, including a draw at Crystal Palace last time out, and look considerably more secure defensively and in results terms.
Crystal Palace vs Hoffenheim
Two inconsistent sides meet at Selhurst Park. Palace have taken four points from three in Europe (a loss at Lyon, a draw at Beşiktaş) but their underlying form is shaky — a 1-5 league defeat to Brighton sits among their recent results, pointing to real issues at the back. Hoffenheim have a similar points total from a similar process: one win from three, conceding as often as they score. Neither side has shown the control to be considered a clear favourite here.
Sunderland vs GNK Dinamo Zagreb
The contrast here is the story. Sunderland are bottom of the Premier League with four points from seven games and have lost four league matches in a row — yet they remain unbeaten in the Europa League, drawing with Lech Poznań and winning away at Torreense in recent weeks. Dinamo Zagreb’s situation is almost the mirror image: second in the Croatian league with 19 points from nine games, but a mixed 1-1-1 league-phase record in Europe so far. Two teams playing very differently depending on the competition.
Sparta Prague vs AFC Bournemouth
Bournemouth’s first-ever European campaign has gone about as well as it could: three wins from three, including victories at Real Sociedad, at home to Sturm Graz, and a 3-0 win over Milan, with eight goals scored and just one conceded. Sparta Prague have been more uneven — a thrashing win away at Ararat-Armenia, a draw with Lillestrøm, and a narrow loss at Olympiacos. On the balance of form, Bournemouth travel to Prague as the side with far more early-season momentum.
Other Matchday 4 Fixtures Worth Watching
Benfica, the league phase’s top scorers with ten goals in three games, host Lech Poznań as the heaviest favourites on the card given their perfect start. Anderlecht and Salzburg meet with both sides still searching for their first real run of form, each having won only once in three. Stade Rennais, unbeaten but low-scoring, face arguably their toughest task yet at home to Olympiacos, who have conceded just once all competition.
Betting Approach for Matchday 4
With firm odds unavailable across several fixtures, the more useful exercise this round is matching table position to underlying process. Leverkusen’s defensive record and Bournemouth’s three clean sheets in four European away-and-home performances stand out as the clearest form signals of the round. At the other end, Celtic’s and Marseille’s results need to be read alongside their broader squad situations — both clubs are already searching for solutions beyond a single matchday. For the tighter fixtures — Crystal Palace vs Hoffenheim, AZ vs Juventus, Sunderland vs Dinamo Zagreb — the first-meeting factor and inconsistent underlying numbers on both sides make these rounds where value is more likely found in goals markets than in a confident match-result call.
We’ll have the Matchday 4 results recap and early Matchday 5 pointers once the fixtures have been played.
Oliver is a sports betting analyst with over 8 years of experience covering football, basketball, and esports across African and international markets. He specializes in odds analysis, bankroll management, and match previews for leagues including the English Premier League, CAF Champions League, and Kenyan Premier League. Oliver is passionate about helping bettors make informed decisions through data-driven insights rather than guesswork. When he’s not breaking down match statistics, he’s testing new betting strategies and reviewing bookmaker platforms for fairness and payout speed.
