Tuesday, January 21st
Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen - 21:00 CET
Atletico Madrid welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening as two of the Champions League’s most fancied teams come face to face.
Diego Simeone’s charges suffered their first defeat since late October against Leganes at the weekend, so they’ll be keen to bounce back in Europe where they’ve lost just one of their last 13 games on home soil.
Leverkusen sit one point and seven places better off than Atleti in the standings, and confidence is growing week by week at the Bundesliga club after 11 straight wins across all competitions.
Despite their excellent form, Xabi Alonso’s side are winless on their last seven trips to Spain, so picking up a positive result at the Metropolitano Stadium promises to be a stern test of their credentials.
Benfica vs Barcelona - 21:00 CET
Bruno Lage’s in-form Benfica will be looking to fire themselves into top-eight contention when they take on second-placed Barcelona in Lisbon.
The Portuguese side have progressed to the Champions League’s knockout phase in two of the last three seasons but their poor recent record on home soil in the competition (just one win from their last seven matches) is a cause for concern.
As for Barca, Hansi Flick’s men have been one of the standout teams in Europe this season, netting 21 times across their six games, including seven from tournament top scorer Robert Lewandowski and six from the rejuvenated Raphinha.
The Blaugrana will be keen to put their stuttering league form to one side on Tuesday evening, with three points against Benfica all but confirming their spot in the last 16.
Wednesday, January 22nd
Besiktas vs Athletic Bilbao - 16:30 CET
Ole Gunnar Solskjær announced his return to management earlier this week, signing an 18-month deal at Besiktas, having watched on from the stands during their home stalemate with Samsunspor on Saturday.
The Norwegian's first game in charge is a big one as the Super Lig outfit look to salvage their Europa League campaign, with Besiktas sitting a point adrift of the 24 qualification spots going into the penultimate round.
Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao will provide a stern test, however, with 16 points from their opening six matches putting them joint-top of the standings alongside Lazio.
The Basque Country side are looking to create history in Istanbul, as they chase a sixth successive victory in European competition for the first time - adding further intrigue to a mouthwatering clash.
PSG vs Manchester City - 21:00 CET
With PSG and Manchester City sitting 25th and 22nd in the Champions League standings respectively, the stakes couldn’t be higher as two of the world’s richest clubs do battle in the French capital.
The Parisians - who recently added Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to their ranks - might be performing well on the domestic front but defeats to Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid have left their hopes of qualification to the knockout stages in serious jeopardy.
What’s more, PSG have picked up just one win from their last seven meetings against Manchester City, while Pep Guardiola’s side are starting to click back into gear after a dismal first half of the campaign.
Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland all starred in the Cityzens’ 6-0 hammering of Ipswich at the weekend, so while their hopes of a direct ticket to the last 16 look all but over, the 2022/23 champions will back their chances of putting the final nail in PSG’s coffin.
Thursday, January 23rd
Manchester United vs Rangers - 21:00 CET
A return to Europa League action provides a welcome distraction for Manchester United, whose dismal Premier League campaign continued on Sunday after a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Having labelled his side “maybe the worst team in the history of Manchester United” at the weekend, Ruben Amorim will be desperate for a response in Europe as the Red Devils look to consolidate their spot in the top eight.
As for Rangers, a 13-point gap to runaway leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership has put added importance on a deep run in the Europa League, with manager Philippe Clement under increasing pressure from supporters amid protests and a walkout in recent weeks.
Three wins and two draws from their opening six games has been an excellent return though, and the Gers will be keen to continue their momentum in the competition with a historic showing at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.