Europa League Matchday 3: Bournemouth Host AC Milan in South Coast Showdown

UEFA Europa League Matchday 3 on Thursday 22 October 2026 brought 18 simultaneous matches across Europe, with the marquee fixture seeing AFC Bournemouth welcome AC Milan to the Vitality Stadium on England's south coast. Bournemouth, in only their second season of major European competition, had already won their opening two league-phase games, most recently beating Sturm Graz 3-0 at home. A third consecutive victory would make them the first English club to open a major European campaign with three straight wins since Sunderland in the 1973–74 UEFA Cup. AC Milan arrived unbeaten across their first two fixtures — highlighted by a 4-0 demolition of Red Bull Salzburg — but were without injured defenders Matteo Gabbia and Alexis Saelemaekers. Elsewhere on the matchday, Juventus hosted Rennes in Turin following a winning start to their campaign, Bayer Leverkusen travelled to OFI Crete, Crystal Palace faced Beşiktaş, and Celtic hosted Celta Vigo at Celtic Park in a must-win clash for both sides after each had lost their opening two European games this season. The first wave of matches kicked off at 18:45 CET, with the Bournemouth–Milan encounter among the 21:00 CET fixtures.