Alashkert vs. Rangers (Thursday, 4.00pm)
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Boasting a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie, Rangers travel to Armenia to take on Alashkert FC in Thursday's second-leg encounter.
Alfredo Morelos's strike gave 10-man Rangers a narrow advantage heading into the second leg, but Steven Gerrard's men are not home and dry just yet.
We say: Alashkert FC 0-2 Rangers (Rangers win 3-0 on aggregate)
The sweltering conditions will play right into Alashkert's hands as Rangers seek to right the wrongs of last week, but the hosts just cannot seem to find their shooting boots at the moment.
Gerrard's side should arguably be out of sight already, and in spite of the blistering heat, we expect the Scottish champions to tuck their chances away this time and book their place in the group stage.
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HJK Helsinki vs. Fenerbahce (Thursday, 5.00pm)
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With only one goal separating the two sides, HJK Helsinki and Fenerbahce renew hostilities in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie at the Bolt Arena on Thursday night.
The Turkish giants claimed a 1-0 first-leg advantage thanks to substitute Muhammed Gumuskaya's spectacular effort, but the hosts are still harbouring ambitions of a memorable comeback.
We say: HJK Helsinki 0-1 Fenerbahce (Fenerbahce win 2-0 on aggregate)
HJK's home record is a sight to behold, and having only come unstuck in the first leg from an unstoppable long-range strike, the Finnish side's supporters can dare to dream.
However, Fenerbahce appear to be finding their groove early in the season and also know a thing or two about keeping clean sheets, so we can see the Turkish side condemning HJK to a rare home defeat by another 1-0 scoreline en route to the group stage.
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Luhansk vs. Rapid Vienna (Thursday, 5.30pm)
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Boasting a 3-0 lead from the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie, Rapid Vienna travel to Zorya Luhansk for Thursday's second-leg encounter.
The Austrian outfit are looking to finish the job in Ukraine and reach the group stage of this competition for the second successive season.
We say: Zorya Luhansk 1-2 Rapid Vienna (Rapid Vienna win 5-1 on aggregate)
Zorya Luhansk have it all to do on Thursday and an attacking display in front of their home supporters is required if they are to overturn a three-goal deficit.
The visitors, however, will likely pose a threat again in midweek and we can see them securing a narrow victory, cruising into the Europa League group stage.
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Galatasaray vs. Randers (Thursday, 7.00pm)
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Turkish giants Galatasaray welcome Danish outfit Randers to the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium on Thursday night for the second leg of their Europa League playoff.
This encounter in Istanbul is nicely poised after both sides played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg last week.
We say: Galatasaray 2-1 Randers (Galatasaray win 3-2 on aggregate)
Randers were able to claim a positive result from the first leg, which has given them hope for Thursday's reverse fixture, and they could cause the hosts a few problems once again.
However, Galatasaray's strength in depth should help them to secure a narrow victory on home soil, sending them into the Europe League group stage.
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AZ vs. Celtic (Thursday, 7.15pm)
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Boasting a healthy 2-0 lead from the first leg at Parkhead, Celtic make the journey to AZ Alkmaar for the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie on Thursday night.
Kyogo Furuhashi's strike and an own goal from Timo Letschert put Celtic in the driving seat last week, and the Eredivisie outfit are struggling to find inspiration from anywhere at the minute.
We say: AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Celtic (Celtic win 4-1 on aggregate)
Celtic have no need to sit back and hold what they have this week, with their attacking capabilities and AZ's poor start to the season there to be taken advantage of.
The hosts were made to pay for their profligacy in the first leg but will feel confident about their chances of finding the back of the net here, although Postecoglou's in-form Celtic should have no problem marching on to the group stage.
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CFR Cluj vs. Red Star (Thursday, 7.30pm)
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Seeking to somehow overturn a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit, CFR Cluj welcome Red Star Belgrade to the Dr. Constantin Radulescu Stadium for the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie on Thursday.
The Serbian powerhouses were simply unplayable in the first leg and will aim to secure a routine passage into the group stage, barring an unforeseen collapse.
We say: CFR Cluj 1-3 Red Star Belgrade (Red Star win 7-1 on aggregate)
This tie is surely dead and buried for Cluj, who will still want to give the home side something to cheer in the form of a goal or two before they prepare for Conference League action.
However, Red Star's red-hot attackers are ready and waiting to punish the hosts should they decide to go for goals and make the second leg an entertaining spectacle, and the Serbian side will aim to make lightning strike twice during another straightforward success en route to the next round.
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Slovan Bratislava vs. Olympiacos (Thursday, 7.45pm)
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Seeking to somehow bounce back from a 3-0 first-leg defeat in the Europa League playoff round, Slovan Bratislava welcome Olympiacos to the Tehelne Pole for the second leg on Thursday evening.
The Slovakian outfit are unbeaten in each of their last seven home matches across all competitions, while their Greek visitors have not lost any of their previous eight competitive games on the road.
We say: Slovan Bratislava 1-3 Olympiacos (Olympiacos win 6-1 on aggregate)
Slovan have a mountain to climb if they are to overturn a three-goal deficit and so an attacking approach is set to be taken by Weiss on Thursday.
However, that could favour Olympiacos who will likely pose a threat in the final third once again, with another comfortable victory on the cards for the visitors.
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Antwerp vs. Omonia (Thursday, 8.00pm)
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Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp will look to overturn a two-goal deficit on Thursday, when they play host to Omonia in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie.
A strong second half saw Thursday's visitors take a comfortable lead in Cyprus, but they will know that they have far more to do if they are to see out the aggregate win.
We say: Royal Antwerp 3-2 Omonia (Omonia win 6-5 on aggregate)
Royal Antwerp came into the tie as favourites after reaching the round of 32 in last year's competition, and we certainly do not rule them out of progressing.
However, we see the visitors having enough to come out as narrow aggregate winners given their two-goal lead, as they will have chances to catch an attacking Antwerp side on the break.
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Legia vs. Slavia Prague (Thursday, 8.00pm)
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With the game truly in the balance, Slavia Prague will make the trip to Poland on Thursday to take on Legia Warsaw in their Europa League playoff tie, with a place in the group stage on the line.
An intriguing opening leg finished 2-2, meaning the side from the Polish capital have home advantage as the sides square off on level terms.
We say: Legia Warsaw 1-2 Slavia Prague (Slavia Prague win 4-3 on aggregate)
While Legia Warsaw put up an impressive display away from home, dominating portions of the game and bringing a draw into the home leg, we think the visitors have more quality in their squad and tip them to get over the line.
While this could certainly go either way, Slavia Prague's Europa League run last season showed their impressive ability, and they should have enough to progress if they can channel that into Thursday's second leg.
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Sturm Graz vs. NS Mura (Thursday, 8.00pm)
After a 3-1 win in the away leg, Sturm Graz will welcome NS Mura to Austria on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie.
Thursday's hosts overturned a deficit to bring a two-goal lead into the home leg, and will look to defend that to complete the job.
We say: Sturm Graz 2-0 NS Mura (Strum Graz win 5-1 on aggregate)
The Austrian outfit came into the clash as favourites, and we do not see NS Mura springing any surprises, especially as they already trail by two goals.
The visitors will certainly push for goals, but Ilzer's men boast more quality and should pick them off on the break to gain a more comfortable lead and book their spot in the group stage of the Europa League.
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Matt Law
