The Europa League group stage gets going on Thursday night with Brighton, West Ham, Liverpool and Rangers all in action.

Liverpool are expected to begin their Group E campaign with victory at Austrians LASK Linz where goals are on the cards.

There should also be plenty of goals in the match featuring Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and BK Hacken, and that's the first leg of a four-fold which works out at over 20/1.

Europa League Thursday accumulator:

Bayer Leverkusen & Over 3.5 goals v BK Hacken @ 10/11
Liverpool/Both Teams to Score v LSK Linz @ 13/8
Freiburg to win at Olympiakos @ 6/4
Draw or Toulouse Double Chance at Union Saint Gilloise @ 8/11

Acca pays approx. 20/1 

All odds are correct at time of writing

View the latest Football odds here
 

German pace-setters should put Hacken to the sword

What	Bayer Leverkusen v BK Hacken
Where	BayArena, Leverkusen
When	17:45, Thursday 21st September, 2023
How to watch	TNT Sports 7
Odds	Bayer Leverkusen 1/7, Draw 7/1, BK Hacken 17/1

It would be a major surprise if Bayer Leverkusen did not win their Europa League opener at home to BK Hacken and equally out of character if they failed to prevail in a flood of goals.

The Bundesliga leaders are always awash with goals and this season looks no different.

Last Friday night they drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich making it 21 goals in five competitive matches this season. New signing, Nigeria marksman Victor Boniface, leads the way with five.

Xabi Alonso's men are firing off over 18 shots per game and the chances are that Hacken will surely wilt under the onslaught coming their way.

Hacken haven't kept a clean sheet in six matches and their 5-3 aggregate success over Aberdeen in the qualifiers was a double-header littered with errors which a side of Bayer's calibre will punish.

Bayer look nailed on but the value is the 10/11 the Germans and over 3.5 goals.

Reds can dot up but LASK should go down with a fight

What	LASK Linz v Liverpool
Where	Raiffeisen Arena, Linz
When	17:45, Thursday 21st September, 2023
How to watch	TNT Sports 1
Odds	LASK Linz 13/2, Draw 19/4, Liverpool 1/3

Jurgen Klopp is in the privileged position of being able to perm any three from half a dozen top strikers which means Liverpool will still be packed with firepower in Linz.

And we know, having seen it week in, week out, that the Reds' chief will never change the way his side plays, whoever the opponent, whatever the competition.

So expect to deliver a statement success but we have also seen so much vulnerability in them defensively – last season and this – that the hosts can definitely trouble Liverpool, just as Wolves did on Saturday.

Thomas Sageder's free-scoring side, 3-1 winners at Klagenfurt on Saturday, know their battle for qualification will lie in duels against Union Saint Gilloise and Toulouse.

But they are strong at home where their only losses in the last 12 months have been against crack unit Salzburg so they should give this a go.

Freiburg forecast to halt Olympiakos march

What	Olympiakos v SC Freiburg
Where	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus
When	20:00, Thursday 21st September, 2023
How to watch	TNT Sports 5
Odds	Olympiakos 9/5, Draw 12/5, Freiburg 6/4

Freiburg showed the gulf between the Bundesliga and Greek Super League last season by winning 3-0 at a canter at Olympiakos in the Europa League.

And even though Olympiakos are top of the league and Freiburg have shipped nine in their last two matches, the Germans should still be trusted.

The 5-0 drubbing at Stuttgart before the international break was hard to swallow but they were holding Dortmund 2-2 on Saturday before Nicolas Hofler's late red preceded a quick-fire Dortmund double.

The Bundesliga is a far better section and Freiburg can demonstrate the class which took them to a fifth-place finish last season.

Frugal French outfit can put brakes on Union

What	Saint Gilloise v Toulouse
Where	Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels
When	17:45, Thursday 21st September, 2023
How to watch	TNT Sports 4
Odds	Union Saint Gilloise 21/20, Draw 13/5, Toulouse 5/2

Union Saint Gilloise are on their travels once again, heading to the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium – home of Anderlecht – for their Group E opener against Toulouse.

Having to play European ties away from their home ground doesn't bother Union who reached the quarter-finals last season.

But it was that success, and almost winning the Belgian league, which has seen their side of last season utterly shredded with the likes of Bart Nieuwkoop, Sieber Van der Heyden, Simon Adingra, Victor Boniface and many more all being tempted elsewhere.

Their inconsistent start to this season tells us the rebuild may take time and stubborn Toulouse represent a really tough adversary on day one of the new campaign.

The French Cup winners finished last term on a five-match unbeaten run and have already drawn with PSG and Marseille this season. They have drawn seven of their last ten matches and will take some beating. The Draw or Toulouse Double Chance at 8/11 appeals.