Europa League preview: Everton, Milan, Marseille take next steps

The UEFA Europa League playoff round takes full flight Thursday, a day after Utrecht struck a blow for the Eredivisie with a 1-0 win over Zenit Saint-Petersburg in a Wednesday first leg.

Premier League participants Everton will be seeking a result at home against Hajduk Split, the third-place team from Croatia’s top flight.

Gylfi Sigurdsson passed his medical at Goodison Park but will not be available for Everton on Thursday.

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As for the match, manager Ronald Koeman knows the Thursday matchdays for the UEL will try his club’s endurance and depth. From EvertonFC.com:

“We know English teams have some problems. I think it is more mental than physical because if you play in the Champions League – so Wednesday and Saturday – you have the same amount of days to recover. I try to put out the strongest team to start the game. That will take into account the tactical aspects of each game. That will mean different players start and different options in terms of substitutions.”

Captained by Zoran Nizic and managed by Joan Carrillo, Hajduk has a young star in the making in the form of 19-year-old attacking midfielder Nikola Vlasic, but Everton is heavily favored at home with Hajduk given 12:1 odds by bookmakers.

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Those numbers are a relative sure thing compared to AC Milan’s visitors. Macedonia club Shkendija are a 33:1 underdog for its trip to Italy.

Elsewhere, Slovenian side Domzale is a longshot at home to visiting Marseille.

Speaking of bookmakers, Arsenal won’t enter the competition until the group stage but is considered the favorite to win the UEL by a hair over Milan. Everton, Villarreal, and Athletic Bilbao are level with third-best odds.

UEFA Europa League playoff first legs
Utrecht 1-0 Zenit -- Weds.
BATE Borisov vs. Oleksandriya -- 1 p.m. ET Thursday
Apollon Limassol vs. Midtjylland -- 1 p.m.
Krasnodar vs. Red Star Belgrade -- 1 p.m.
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Skenderbeu -- 1 p.m.
FH vs. Braga -- 1:45 p.m. ET Thursday
PAOK vs. Ostersund -- 2 p.m. ET Thursday
Vardar vs. Fenerbahce -- 2 p.m.
Plzen vs. AEK Lamaca -- 2:15 p.m. ET Thursday
Altach vs. Maccabi Tel-Aviv -- 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday
Ludogorets Razgrad vs. Suduva -- 2:30 p.m.
Panathinaikos vs. Athletic Bilbao -- 2:30 p.m.
Domzale vs. Marseille -- 2:45 p.m. ET Thursday
Osijek vs. Austria Wien -- 2:45 p.m.
Viitorul vs. Red Bull Salzburg -- 2:45 p.m.
Ajax vs. Rosenborg -- 2:45 p.m.
Legia Warsaw vs. Sheriff -- 2:45 p.m.
AC Milan vs. Shkendija -- 2:45 p.m.
Club Brugge vs. AEK -- 2:45 p.m.
Partizan vs. Videoton -- 3 p.m. ET Thursday
Everton vs. Hajduk Split -- 3:05 p.m. ET Thursday
Maritimo vs. Dynamo Kyiv -- 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday

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