The Europa League group stages gets underway this Thursday, and here's how and where you can tune into some of the biggest games on matchday one.

Football is truly back in full swing. The 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League kicked off this Tuesday, and now the Europa League is set to commence on Thursday.

After several rounds of qualifying, a total of 48 teams will be taking part in a bid to clinch what could be described as the second most important title in European club football. Five teams - Antwerp, Granada, Leicester City, Omonia, and Sivasspor - will be making their debuts at this juncture; for the Foxes, European football is not a new thing, but they've never played in this competition.

Reigning champions Sevilla, meanwhile, won't be able to take part in the group stages as they automatically qualified for the Champions League, but they will be able to defend their title if they finish third in their quartet and drop down to the Europa League - as they've done in prior campaigns.

While of course all 24 games that will be played on Thursday are all important for the teams participating, we've decided to narrow that list down to seven big ones you really won't want to miss.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Nice

Kick-off at 09:55 PT/12:55 EST/16:55 GMT/18:55 CET

Leverkusen have endured a bumpy start to the 2020/2021 Bundesliga campaign, with it taking four matchdays before die Werkself were finally able to pick up their first win. Peter Bosz's men were narrowly beaten to fourth spot by Borussia Moenchengladbach and so will be trying their luck in the Europa League instead. Their first match sees them welcome Nice, who also finished fifth in Ligue 1, and after a downturn in September, Patrick Viera's squad have since returned to good form, with wins in thier last two games. This will be the first match between the two sides in Europe.

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Match details, result and original broadcast info

Bayer Leverkusen 6 - 2 Nice

October 22, 2020 12:55pmBayArena (Leverkusen)

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Lech Poznań vs Benfica

Kick-off at 09:55 PT/12:55 EST/16:55 GMT/18:55 CET

Benfica, who are the most decorated side in the Primeira Liga, failed to win last season's title, and the Eagles missed out on a spot in this season's Champions League after losing 2-1 to PAOK in the third qualifying round. Despite this, they've started the new season off in fine form, with four wins out of four to vault them to an early lead in the race for the Primeira Liga title. Next up for Benfica is an away clash against Polish side Lech Poznan, who also finished as runners-up in their league and having survived four qualifying rounds to get to this juncture, will be eager to make their mark.

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Match details, result and original broadcast info

Lech Poznań 2 - 4 Benfica

October 22, 2020 12:55pmINEA stadion (Poznań)

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Napoli vs AZ

Kick-off at 09:55 PT/12:55 EST/16:55 GMT/18:55 CET

Napoli are actually unbeaten on the pitch this season - save for a default 3-0 loss that was handed to them after failing to meet COVID-19 guidelines prior to their match with Juventus. The Partenopei come into their first Europa League match off the back of a well-deserved 4-1 win over plucky side Atalanta and will be fancying their chances against AZ Alkmaar, who have had a dreadful start to their domestic campaign. AZ, who finished as last season's runners up in the Eredivisie, have yet to win a single game this term, and have picked up jsut four points from their first four matches.

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Match details, result and original broadcast info

Napoli 0 - 1 AZ

October 22, 2020 12:55pmStadio San Paolo (Napoli)

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Rapid Wien vs Arsenal

Kick-off at 09:55 PT/12:55 EST/16:55 GMT/18:55 CET

Despite finishing in eighth spot, Arsenal booked their spot in the 2020/2021 Europa League thanks to winning last season's FA Cup. They'll now face Austrian Bundesliga runners-up Rapid Wien, who, like Arsenal have won three of their last five games and are in the Europa League after being knocked out in the Champions League's third qualifying rounds. This will be the first meeting between the two sides in any sort of European competition.

Where to watch Rapid Wien vs Arsenal in your current location:

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Rapid Wien 1 - 2 Arsenal

October 22, 2020 12:55pmAllianz Stadion (Wien)

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Celtic vs AC Milan

Kick-off at 12:00 PT/15:00 ET/19:00 GMT/21:00 CET

AC Milan have gotten off to a flying start in Serie A, with a perfect 12 points out of 12 seeing the Diavolo sitting on top of the league table. Fresh off their first Serie A win against bitter city rivals Inter in four years, the visitors will now turn their attention towards Celtic and extending their unbeaten streak to eight games across all comps. Their opponents, meanwhile, have hit a slump at the worst possible time, with losses in their last three matches, and will be battling against a frustrating hoodoo when the Rossoneri come to town.

Where to watch Celtic vs AC Milan in your current location:

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Celtic 1 - 3 Milan

October 22, 2020 3:00pmCeltic Park (Glasgow)

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Spurs vs LASK Linz

Kick-off at 12:00 PT/15:00 ET/19:00 GMT/21:00 CET

After a sixth-placed finish last term and navigating their way through three rounds of qualifying, Tottenham are now ready to begin their hopeful march towards winning this year's Europa League. Domestically, Jose Mourinho's side have been in decent form, albeit they dropped points in a three-all draw with West Ham following a very impressive 6-1 drubbing of Manchester United prior to the international break. Their upcoming visitors, meanwhile, finished fourth in last season's Austrian Bundesliga and beat "Big Three" Portuguese side Sporting CP 4-1 in the final qualifying rounds to book their spot at this juncture.

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Match details, result and original broadcast info

Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 0 LASK Linz

October 22, 2020 3:00pmTottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)

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Leicester City vs Zorya

Kick-off at 12:00 PT/15:00 ET/19:00 GMT/21:00 CET

After a bright start, Leicester City have since taken a downturn as the Foxes come into their first ever Europa League match with losses in their last two games. Even more concerning is the fact that they were shut out during 3-0 and 1-0 defeats to West Ham and Aston Villa respectively. That being said, Brendan Rodgers's squad will be really fancying their chances against Eastern European outfit Zorya - despite missing key striker and last season's Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy. That's because teams from Ukraine have a terrible record when it comes to playing English sides on their home turf; in fact, they've never won in England, with seven draws and 25 losses to date.

Where to watch Leicester City vs Zorya in your current location:

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Leicester City 3 - 0 Zorya

October 22, 2020 3:00pmKing Power Stadium (Leicester, Leicestershire)

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