Micah Richards
Former Aston Villa defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Ollie Watkins has got the confidence. It's not just the goals he's scoring, it's the positions he's taking up to play with his team-mates, that's impressing me more than the goals.

Olympiakos' game with Panathanaikos was called off at the weekend after a firework struck one of the latter's players. So first and foremost they won't want any bother tonight.

The Greek side also have some ground to make up in Europe, with their last game ending in a 2-2 draw at the group's weakest side (on paper) Backa Topola.

However, they have scored 14 goals in their last 410 minutes of football in all competitions so they're no mugs.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

Image source, Getty Images

As everyone knows, Unai Emery adores European competitions and has been eager to chat about the prospects of Villa first reaching one, then competing seriously in it, since it first became a possibility on the distant horizon in the early spring.

Having qualified for the Europa Conference League, it was entirely reasonable for Villa to be considered among the favourites for a competition that West Ham won in June.

So far, though, Group E has proved to be considerably thornier than expected and the stakes for the games against AZ in the Netherlands and at Villa Park in a fortnight are consequently rather higher.

David Moyes has called for "good behaviour" from West Ham and Olympiakos supporters when the two sides meet on Thursday in Group A of the Europa League.

Olympiakos' match with Panathinaikos on Sunday was abandoned after a rival player was hit by a firecracker.

West Ham fans were banned from their last European away match after objects were thrown from the stands during June's Europa Conference League final.

West Ham lead Group A after two wins.

"You want the passion and the atmosphere but we also want good behaviour from our supporters and Olympiacos supporters," said Moyes.

"It's a big game, but it's important that everyone works together and ends up having a good night.

"You're not doing your club any favours if you're getting stadium bans or your team is getting thrown out of Europe."

Meanwhile, Olympiakos have issued a warning to their supporters against throwing missiles and using laser pointers.

The Greek side are third in Group A, collecting one point from their opening two matches.

Aston Villa have been allocated just 950 tickets by AZ Alkmaar, who were fined 80,000 euros (£68,670) for the behaviour of their fans at their Europa Conference League semi-final second leg match against West Ham in May.

During that game at the AFAS Stadion - which holds 19,478 supporters - AZ fans attacked an area in which West Ham players' friends and family were seated.

The Dutch club gave stadium bans to 43 fans, and several arrests were made after an appeal was made on television.

West Ham boss David Moyes makes seven changes from the side who lost 4-1 against Aston Villa last Sunday.

Mohammed Kudus, Said Benrahma and Konstantinos Mavropanos are among those who come into the starting line-up.

Vladimir Coufal has not travelled due to a knock but fellow full-backs Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell are back in the squad and on the bench.

West Ham XI: Areola, Emerson, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Ward-Prowse, Fornals, Soucek, Benrahma, Kudus, Ings.

Subs: Anang, Cresswell, Johnson, Zouma, Aguerd, Alvarez, Cornet, Paqueta, Bowen, Antonio, Mubama.

Olympiakos' match with Panathinaikos on Sunday was abandoned with the score at 1-1 after 50 minutes when a rival player was hit by a firecracker.

Daniel Podence, on loan from Wolves, starts for the side who are currently top of Super League Greece.

Olympiakos XI: Paschalakis, Rodinei, Retsos, Porozo, Ortega, Camara, Hezze, Alexandropoulos, Podence, Fortounis, El Kaabi.

Subs: Tzolakis, Papadoudis, Scarpa, El-Arabi, Vrousai, Quini, Masouras, Joao Carvalho, Pep Biel, Jovetic, Solbakken.

Image source, BBC Sport

West Ham are in decent shape in Group A.

Two games, two wins - you can't fault that.

This will be a test, though, tonight, especially for a side on a run of one win in five matches in the Premier League.

Away at Freiburg was in theory the toughest game in the group and the Hammers came through that with three points, so they'll have no fear tonight. However, they need to be mindful of an opponent who have lost just once in all competitions in 2023-24, taking 19 from a possible 21 points to top the Greek top flight.

A West Ham win tonight leaves them eight points above Olympiakos. A defeat for the Hammers makes it a three-horse race in the group.

AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen has stayed true with the majority of the 11 that started in Saturday's 3-0 win against Heerenveen.

Mayckel Lahdo is the only player to lose his place in the starting lineup as Ibrahim Sadiq starts on the wing.

Former Southampton midfielder Jordy Clasie captains the Dutch outfit.

AZ Alkmaar XI: Ryan, Sugawara, Bazoer, Penetra, Wolfe, Mijnans, Clasie, Sadiq, De Wit, Van Brederode, Pavlidis.

Subs: Verhulst, Owusu-Oduro, Martins Indi, Dantas, Odgaard, Mihailovic, Van Bommel, Poku, Goudmijn, Kasius, Goes.

Aston Villa ran out 4-1 winners against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday and Unai Emery has made four changes.

Clement Lenglet and Diego Carlos replace Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres in the heart of defence.

Youri Tielemans comes in for Nicolo Zaniolo in midfield, while Leon Bailey is preferred to Moussa Diaby in attack.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne, McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Tielemans, Bailey, Watkins.

Subs: Olsen, Marschall, Konsa, Traore, Torres, Chambers, Diaby, Zaniolo, Duran, Dendoncker.

Image source, .

Could it be any tighter in Villa's group?

All four clubs have three points after two games with an identical goal difference.

The other game in Group E today sees Zrinjski Mostar play Legia Warsaw [20:00 BST kick-off] in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Rangers are also in action tonight, but don't worry if you don't see much of their game at Sparta Prague detailed in this live text commentary.

We have a separate live text commentary focusing on that game, which you'll be able to find on the site shortly.

We begin tonight with two sides in claret and blue - West Ham and Aston Villa - who just happen to have met each other at the weekend, with the latter emerging as deserved winners.

Tonight, though, the Hammers are in Greece to take on Olympiakos in the Europa League, while Villa head to Holland to tackle AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League.

After that, at 20:00 BST, Brighton and Liverpool swoop in, with the latter at home against French side Toulouse and the former with the game of the night - at home against four-time champions of Europe Ajax.

Another Thursday, another bumper crop of Europa and Europa Conference League games.

Tonight, our intrepid second and third-tier competition foursome from the Premier League are spread across Europe, with West Ham in Greece, Aston Villa in the Netherlands, Liverpool in, er, Liverpool and Brighton in... oh yeah, Brighton.

We're also split over two kick-off times this evening, meaning we'll be with you for a good six hours or so. So settle in and let the 'not quite as good as the Champions League football' come at you!