UEFA Europa League Qualifiers: Your Running Commentary

EuropaLeague

By AVI CREDITOR

A day after the UEFA Champions League field was completed, the UEFA Europa League has its final day of qualification.

Highlighting Thursday's 36-match slate includes Jozy Altidore's Villarreal (Altidore is starting) taking on Dnepr-Mogliev with a comfortable 5-0 aggregate lead; Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and the rest of Aston Villa hosting Rapid Vienna with the edge after securing an away goal in their 1-1 first-leg encounter; A shorthanded Liverpool trying to nurse its 1-0 aggregate lead at Turkish opponent Trabzonspor.

CSKA Moscow, which qualified on Tuesday, and reigning cup holder Atletico Madrid are already among the 48 teams to reach the group stage. The 10 losers from the final round of Champions League qualifying are also automatically entered into the draw.

Here's Thursday's hefty schedule of games:

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE SCHEDULE (All times ET)

12 p.m.

  • Aktobe Lento vs. AZ Alkmaar (Alkmaar leads 2-0)
  • Dinamo Minsk vs. Club Brugge (Brugge leads 2-1)
  • Dnepr-Mogliev vs. Villarreal (Villarreal leads 5-0)
  • FK Qarabag vs. Borussia Dortmund (Dortmund leads 4-0)
  • Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Lausanne Sports (teams tied at 1-1)
  • Martimo vs. BATE Borisov (Borisov leads 3-0)

12:45 p.m.

  • HJK Helsinki vs. Besiktas (Besiktas leads 2-0)

1 p.m.

  • Apoel Nicosia vs. Getafe (Getafe leads 1-0)
  • Austria Vienna vs. Aris Salonika (Aris leads 1-0)
  • Brondby vs. Sporting Lisbon (Brondby leads 2-0)
  • FC Metalist Kharkiv vs. Omonia Nicosia (Kharkiv leads 1-0)

1:30 p.m.

  • Grasshoppers vs. Steaua Bucuresti (Bucuresti leads 1-0)
  • Levski Sofia vs. AIK (teams tied at 0-0)
  • Litek! s Lovetc h vs. Debrecen (Debrecen leads 2-0)
  • PSV Eindhoven vs. Sibir Novosibirsk (Novosibirsk leads 1-0)
  • Trabzonspor vs. Liverpool (Liverpool leads 1-0)
  • Unirea Urziceni vs. Hajduk Split (Hajduk Split leads 4-1)

2 p.m.

  • AEK Athens vs. Dundee United (Athens leads 1-0)
  • KAA Gent vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam (Rotterdam leads 1-0)
  • Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Paris St. Germain (PSG leads 2-0)
  • Tavriya Symferopol vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Bayer Leverkusen leads 3-0)
  • VfB Stuttgart vs. Slovan Bratislava (Stuttgart leads 1-0)

2:15 p.m.

  • Lech Pozan vs. Dnipro (Lech Poznan leads 1-0)

2:30 p.m.

  • FC Utrecht vs. Celtic (Celtic leads 2-0)
  • T.N.S. vs. CSKA Sofia (Sofia leads 3-0)

2:45 p.m.

  • Aston Villa vs. Rapid Vienna (teams tied at 1-1)
  • Elfsborg vs. Napoli (Napoli leads 1-0)
  • Fenerbahce vs. PAOK Salonika (PAOK leads 1-0)
  • Juventus vs. SK Sturm Graz (Juventus leads 2-1)
  • Karpaty Lviv vs. Galatasaray (teams tied at 2-2)
  • Lille vs. FC Vaslui (teams tied at 0-0)
  • Manchester City vs. FC Timisoara (Manchester City leads 1-0)
  • Motherwell vs. Odense BK (Odense leads 2-1)
  • NK Maribor vs. Palermo (Palermo leads 3-0)

3:15 p.m.

  • Dinamo Zagreb vs. Gyor (Dinamo Zagreb leads 2-0)

3:30 p.m.

  • FC Porto vs. Racing Genk (Porto leads 3-0)

If you will be watching any of these matches on DirecTV, UEFA.com or via live Internet feed, please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the games!


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