AZ should get their Europa League campaign off to a flying start when they host Elfsborg on Wednesday.

The home side have won both their home games this season, including a stunning 9-1 victory over Heerenveen in their previous fixture on their own patch – a game in which former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott scored four goals. Indeed, they have been unstoppable offensively in recent games, scoring 14 in their last three.

The offensive power of the hosts is likely to prove complicated for Elfsborg, who sit sixth in Sweden’s top-flight, to cope with. The visitors’ weakness this season has been on their travels. Domestically, they have lost six of 11 away from home, and this against a standard of opponent lower than the one they will face on Wednesday. In particular, they have struggled defensively, conceding 21 times in 11 Allsvenskan away games.

AZ, meanwhile, will be especially keen to take the points in this match given their fixture list in the Europa League going ahead is formidable. With Athletic Club, Tottenham, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Roma all to come, this is a match they surely have to win if they are to qualify.

Porto’s opening Europa League fixture has the potential of being a real banana skin game against a Bodo/Glimt side that has a recent record of causing upsets at home in European competition. Of their last 27 European home matches, the Norwegians have lost only three games against Arsenal (1-0), PSV (2-1) and Club Brugge (1-0).

Another constant for Bodo/Glimt has been the fact that there have been goals in these games, most memorably when they beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 in the Conference League of 2021-22. Across their last eight European home matches, both teams have scored on six occasions, with the hosts being shutout only once.

The aspirations of the home side to cause an upset, though, are hit by a number of defensive doubts, resulting in a heavy 4-1 loss to Brann at the weekend. This is especially problematic against a Porto side that has scored at least two goals in five of six competitive matches this season.

Although the visiting side have been solid at the back on the whole, they have conceded three times in their last three games from 4 xGA. With Bodo/Glimt so capable at home, particularly going forward, goals at both ends is a sensible angle.

Midtjylland and Hoffenheim are teams on lengthy runs when it comes to both teams scoring in their matches, and the chances are this will continue when they clash in Denmark on Wednesday.

Goals have flown in at both ends of the field in the Danes’ recent games. Each of their last eight have seen at least one strike for each team, with their weekend trip to Randers finishing 2-2. It was the fifth successive game in which the hosts had scored at least a couple of goals and saw them shrug off a number of offensive injury issues with relative ease.

Just as the hosts stand to be without a handful of attackers, Hoffenheim are hit in the defence, going some way to even things up on this score.

Indeed, the German side are seeking to gain some momentum after a start to the campaign in which they have only beaten newly promoted Holstein Kiel – and even that was only 3-2. The Hoff, however, have seen goals at both ends in all of their five competitive matches and have notably conceded at least twice in each of these games.

Manchester United might not be entirely predictable under Erik ten Hag, but if they were fail to record a comfortable victory over Twente, it would go down as a humiliation for the Dutchman.

Although the Red Devils will likely make some changes to their squad, the depth they can call upon for a fixture such as this is formidable. Indeed, any fears about the offensive quality of the incoming players should have been eased to some extent by the outstanding performance that was produced last week against Barnsley in an EFL Cup match they cruised to a 5-0 win in.

With competition in the squad increasingly intense, this should be seen as an opportunity for fringe players like Mason Mount and Casemiro to win their spots back, while Rasmus Hojlund will be eager to get back on the goal trail after injury.

Twente, after all, have not been in good domestic form. Don’t be fooled by their 5-0 win over Almere at the weekend. They were actually outplayed by a team winless in the Eredivisie for significant portions of that match.

Important midfielder Michal Sadilek is missing after a go-kart accident, they have had one day less rest than their guests and even at full strength, this is not a side that should scare United.

There should be few problems for Galatasaray when it comes to picking up three points in their first Europa League match of the season against PAOK.

The home side, after all, have been on fire in recent weeks. Across their last four matches, they have scored 16 goals, rendering the three strikes they have conceded as largely irrelevant. Indeed, they will be on a high after overcoming Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce 3-1 at the weekend.

Key summer signing Victor Osimhen should be given significant game-time given that he is short of match sharpness while they also have the likes of Dries Mertens, Michy Batshuayi and Mauro Icardi to call upon in what is a stacked offensive lineup.

PAOK, like their hosts, have already been knocked out of the Champions League this season but were humbled by a Malmo outfit ultimately relegated to this competition. The Greek league leaders, meanwhile, are yet to face a side of the quality of Galatasaray this season, with their domestic fixtures, with the exception of a scoreless home draw against Panathinaikos, coming against the division’s weaker sides.

The class of Galatasaray should tell as they seek a fourth successive win in European football at home over a Greek outfit.

Nice are well priced to claim victory over an out-of-sorts Real Sociedad team at the Allianz Riviera on Wednesday, particularly when backed on a draw no bet basis.

The home side come into this match on a dizzying high. They may have a handful of offensive players out injured, but that did not stop them from recording a blistering 8-0 win over Saint-Etienne last Friday in a match in which Youssoufa Moukoko sparkled on his first start for the club.

Although they had lost their previous match away to Marseille, they outperformed the joint-Ligue 1 leaders 1.9-0.7 xG.

Real Sociedad, meanwhile, are in something of a state of turmoil. They have won just aa single match all season and have been hopelessly inefficient in attack. La Real have failed to net in any of their last four matches, while their single victory this season came against an Espanyol side still finding its feet in the top-flight after promotion from the Segunda Division.

With the Spaniards lack scoring power and Nice are flying in front of goal, the home side are justifiable favourites here. Backing the hosts draw no bet offers some insurance against a low-scoring draw, which is the other likely outcome.