While Bologna have hit a bit of a rough patch lately, I still think they will have enough in their locker to see off Celtic on Thursday evening. Vincenzo Italiano's side made light work of Salzburg in their last Europa League home game, cruising to a 4-1 victory, and I think Celtic will represent a similar standard of opposition. It also helps that the Red and Blues have since gone to Celta Vigo and claimed a 2-1 win, further strengthening the case for a home win on Thursday night.

Celtic, for their part, have won three on the bounce since Martin O'Neill returned, but aside from the victory over Dundee United, their performances have been underwhelming. 

Yes, the Hoops did produce an impressive 3-1 win away at injury-ravaged Feyenoord on matchday five, but, in general, they have struggled on their European travels for years. All the signs point to that trend continuing against a Bologna side still pushing for a top eight finish.

Unai Emery gave a very interesting interview after his side lost to Everton 1-0 at home over the weekend, with the Spaniard claiming that his side are ‘nowhere near’ ready to compete for the top five in the Premier League. It’s fair to assume that Emery was employing some hyperbole in his comments, likely in an effort to get a reaction from his team.

Villa have won five of their six matches in the Europa League this term, with those games producing 14 goals. This is arguably their most difficult assignment of the league phase, with Fenerbahce being a very tough side to overturn at home. The Turkish side have won two and drawn one of their three games at home in the Europa League this term, with those matches producing six goals.

Fenerbahce have seen BTTS in three of their six matches in the Europa League this term, and are likely to treat this encounter quite seriously, with only two points separating them from the top eight. Aston Villa have more security in their position in the top eight, but are still likely to need maximum points here to ensure their spot in the knockout stages ahead of their final game of the league phase against Salzburg.

Real Betis have been one of the best sides in the Europa League this season, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side effectively building on the work they did to reach the final of the Conference League last term. Betis have avoided defeat in all six of their matches in the Europa League this term, winning four of those games.

Betis’ away record is particularly impressive, with the La Liga side winning two of their three matches on the road - only Roma (nine) have picked up more points away from home than Betis (seven) in the Europa League this season.

The Spanish outfit travel to take on PAOK, who have drawn three of their six matches in the Europa League this term, with their only victories coming against Young Boys and Lille. I think they’ll struggle to match the quality of Betis, who have proven to be a really organised side in the Europa League this term.

PAOK could also have issues when it comes to finding the back of the net. Betis have only conceded four goals across their six matches in the Europa League this term - only three sides have a better defensive record than Manuel Pellegrini’s side in the Europa League.

Lyon enter this match in superb form, having won each of their last five matches in all competitions. Both teams have scored in four of those fixtures, including their most recent 2-1 victory over Brest, where they recorded an xG of 1.98 from 19 shots.

Their Europa League campaign has been particularly impressive, with five wins from their six league phase matches, placing them firmly on course for automatic qualification for the knockouts. A total of 16 goals have been scored across those games (2.66 per match), with Lyon responsible for 13 of them.

Young Boys have a split record in the Europa League this season, with three wins and three losses from their six matches. Those encounters have produced 20 goals (3.33 per game), and four of the six have featured three or more goals.

Their most recent outing also saw 3+ goals, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Lausanne - a match in which they were reduced to ten men before half time. Needing a result to keep their knockout stage hopes alive, that motivation could help contribute to at least three goals in this contest.