From a betting perspective the Europa League is the competition that just keeps on giving and I am delighted it makes its seasonal reappearance on Thursday night.
The competitive nature of the event is highlighted by the fact it is 16/1 the field in the outright market and there is little to choose between the majority of the 48 sides lining up in the group stage.
To me that certainly appears the case in Belgium on match day one where Standard Liege are favoured to get the better of Rijeka.
While the Belgian national side might be flourishing, its domestic league is some way below Europe’s elite and Thursday’s hosts are woefully out of form in it to boot.
It is seven matches without a win in all competitions for Standard and goals have been shipped at an alarming rate during their current slump.
Eighteen times the Liege net has been found in that period and Thursday’s free-scoring visitors must fancy their chances of causing a minor upset.
Home Israeli boss Guy Luzon sees his side sit just three points from the bottom of the Pro League after seven matches and Standard struggled in the Europa League last term also.
Just a solitary point was gained in six group matches in this competition 12 months ago and why Standard are just a shade over evens I am not so sure.
Rijeka have burst onto the European scene in 2014 with six consecutive wins in the preliminaries to reach the tournament proper and are flying domestically, too.
It is seven wins in their opening eight matches in the Croatian top flight and valuable experience was gained last season when Rijeka twice held Real Betis and drew with Lyon in the Europa League group stage.
Already a winner seven times on the road this season in competitive fixtures, away days clearly hold no fear for Matjaz Kek and his players.
The former Slovenia national boss saw his team finish a decent second to Dinamo Zagreb in the spring to qualify for this and will be desperate to put up another good showing. Rijeka are overpriced at 11/4 and must be backed to prevail.
4pts Lay Standard Liege (vs. Rijeka) @ 2.10 (Betfair) and 1pt Back Rijeka (vs. Standard Liege) @ 3.75 (Bet 365)