Vancouver’s one-point Western Conference lead heads a 28-match Thursday

Thursday’s 28-match programme spans three leagues, with St. Louis City v Vancouver Whitecaps the headline fixture: Vancouver Whitecaps are #1 in the Western Conference on 51 points, one point ahead of #2 St. Louis City. The Europa League League Stage - 2 schedule supplies 18 matches, while Argentina and MLS add important table and form contrasts.

UEFA Europa League: tight margins and contrasting starts

Lyon v Crystal Palace is the standout European tie. Both teams have three points and both have a listed win, but Crystal Palace are #2 and Lyon #11 in the pre-match table. That makes the meeting notable for matching points and different positions.

Lech Poznan v Bayer Leverkusen carries a clear three-point gap: Leverkusen are #8 on three points after a win, while Lech are #35 on zero points after a loss. Benfica v Celtic offers another sharp divide, with Benfica #7 on three points and Celtic #28 on zero; their listed forms are W and L respectively. Celta Vigo v Juventus also puts the #1 team, Juventus on three points, against Celta Vigo at #25 on zero.

Bournemouth v Sturm Graz is closer. Bournemouth are #10 on three points with W form, while Sturm Graz are #17 on one point with D form, leaving Bournemouth two points ahead. Red Bull Salzburg v AC Milan has Salzburg #14 on three points and Milan #30 on zero, while Sparta Praha start #3 on three points against Lillestrom at #24 on zero.

Also today: AZ Alkmaar v Hapoel Beer Sheva, Celje v Omonia Nicosia, Union St. Gilloise v Real Sociedad, Torreense v Sunderland, Dinamo Zagreb v Anderlecht, Ferencvarosi TC v Plzen, 1899 Hoffenheim v Beşiktaş, Jagiellonia v Ararat-Armenia, Marseille v Olympiakos Piraeus, NEC Nijmegen v Levski Sofia and Rennes v OFI. The listed table gaps range from level points to three points, with Torreense v Sunderland level on three points and OFI two points ahead of Rennes.

Liga Profesional Argentina: Gimnasia bring the stronger listed run

Huracan v Gimnasia L.P. is Argentina’s sole fixture. In the pre-match Apertura - Group B table, Gimnasia L.P. are #6 on 26 points and Huracan are #7 on 22, with Gimnasia four points ahead. Gimnasia’s listed form is DDDDW, compared with Huracan’s LWWWD, making the recent sequences the central point of interest without predicting the result.

Major League Soccer: Vancouver lead the Western Conference by one point

St. Louis City v Vancouver Whitecaps is the day’s key MLS fixture. Vancouver are #1 in the Western Conference on 51 points, while St. Louis are #2 on 50; Vancouver’s DLDWL form contrasts with St. Louis’s WWWWD. The table’s top two meet with one point between them in the pre-match standings.

Chicago Fire v Philadelphia Union is a significant Eastern Conference test. Chicago are #4 on 48 points and Philadelphia #6 on 42, giving Chicago a six-point lead, but Philadelphia’s listed form is WWWWW while Chicago’s is WWWLL. FC Dallas v Seattle Sounders is another direct Western Conference meeting: Dallas are #3 on 47 points and Seattle #7 on 41, with a six-point gap.

Nashville SC v Sporting Kansas City requires separate table context. Nashville are #1 in the Eastern Conference on 63 points, while Sporting Kansas City are #15 in the Western Conference on 22; the positions are not comparable. Also today: Colorado Rapids v Minnesota United FC, Real Salt Lake v San Jose Earthquakes, Los Angeles FC v Austin, Los Angeles Galaxy v Portland Timbers and San Diego v Houston Dynamo. The Western Conference gaps listed for those matches are seven, 14, 11, three and 13 points respectively.

The single match not to miss is St. Louis City v Vancouver Whitecaps, because the Western Conference’s top two are separated by one point before kick-off.