Thursday Preview: Lyon, Lille look to stay perfect
With Paris Saint-Germain top of the Champions League, Ligue 1 McDonald's has had a decent start to life in Europe this season -- and with four more matches to come on Thursday, there's every chance to improve that further. Read on as we preview all four matches.
RC Strasbourg-Jagiellonia Białystok, 18:45 CET
Playing their first home match in the competition proper will surely be plenty of motivation for Liam Rosenior's young side. After a swashbuckling draw in Paris on Friday, they'll enter this match against the top side in Poland full of confidence. Captain Emanuel Emegha is still absent, as is Ben Chilwell, but in their stead, Rosenior can call on Ligue 1's leading scorer, Joaquín Panichelli and the fit-again Mamadou Sarr. As for their opponents, the Poles have successfully navigated three rounds of qualifying, and like Racing won their first match, beating Maltan side Hamrun Spartans.
Olympique Lyonnais-FC Basel 18:45
The first of three Europa League matches today, this encounter will see Xherdan Shaqiri return to Lyon, having had a renaissance season last year with the Swiss champions, scoring 21 goals in all competitions. He's been in top form in the current campaign as well, but his side have been more uneven, being knocked out of the Champions League at the first hurdle and losinf their first match in this competition. As for Paulo Fonseca's Gones, they will take this match at the highest level, having rotated against Nice at the weekend. With two wins from their first two matches in this competition, they'll continue to work towards progressing.
Our Gones 🦁#OLFCB 🔜 pic.twitter.com/p4bNBv2S0Y
— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) October 22, 2025
CELta vigo-OGC NICE 21:00
After what will surely have been a confidence-boosting win over Lyon at the weekend, Nice will look to get their European campaign on track here. Without a pint after losses to Roma and Fenerbahce, Les Aiglons need to get to grips with this competiton quickly if they're to progress, and they'll scarcely be helped by a still-lengthy injury list that includes three center backs as well as striker Terem Moffi. As to their opponents, Celta have lost just twice in La Liga this season, but are also yet to win -- a study in contrasts which has sputtered in attack.
LOSC Lille-PAOK 21:00
The fourth side with a perfect record to date in Europe is Les Dogues, and they'll look to build on wins over Brann and Roma by welcoming PAOK, a Greek side that features several former Ligue 1 players including Dejan Lovren and their own former midfielder Soualiho Meïté. Undefeated in the Greek league, they boast a mean defence and could make life difficult for Lille who are aiming to keep pace with the lead pack.
