Well dropped into the Europa League after Greek giants Panathinaikos ended their Champions League dream at the first hurdle and they have now been given a draw which is akin from being thrown out of the fire and into the frying pan.

Valencia’s other club, Levante, are enjoying their first taste of European football and arrive having recently sold star striker Arune Kone to Wigan Athletic, but Juan Ignacio Martinez still boasts a wealth of talent which can pose problems to Motherwell.

Veteran Greek hitman Theofanis Gekas was immediately drafted in to replace Kone and will look to hit the ground running with a goal in Scotland.

Levante got their La Liga campaign underway with a 1-1 home draw against last season’s Europa League winners Atletico Madrid at the weekend so will no doubt fancy their chances of gaining a satisfactory result.

McCall’s men won 2-1 at Kilmarnock at the weekend so come into the fixture on a high note and the former Scotland international is set to stick with the 4-4-2 formation he utilised in the Panathinaikos home tie for the game.

Simon Ramsden is out of the match which means Adam Cummins should partner Simon Hutchinson at the back.

Levante’s form this season is difficult to assess so early, but the fact they recorded wins over eventual La Liga champions Real Madrid, Champions League qualifiers Malaga, Europa League winners Atletico Madrid and finalists Athletic Bilbao last term suggests they are a capable unit.

A crumb of comfort for Motherwell is the Spanish outfit’s disappointing away form as they won only five from 19 away games in the league last season, have not won on the road since March and have been known to rely heavily on their home form in two-legged cup ties.

Therefore, if Motherwell are to progress in the Europa League then the outcome of Thursday’s match is likely to be crucial. But, whether they will have enough to take a lead to Spain for the second leg is a doubt.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 5/2
Value Bet: 1-1 Correct Score @ 11/2

Meanwhile, Levante’s Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao should have no problems in overcoming A HJK Helsinki side which was dumped out of the Champions League qualification at the hands of Celtic and this is reflected in the 2/13 odds for them to win Thursday’s home tie.

Italian giants Inter Milan (12/1 Outright joint favourites) face a tricky first leg trip to face Romanian outfit FC Vaslui, but Andrea Stramaccioni’s men should have just enough at 4/6 to secure a lead to take back to the San Siro.

Steve McClaren guided then Premier League club Middlesbrough to the 2006 final of this competition. And, the former England coach will look to repeat that feat with Dutch side FC Twente this season. But his side are facing a tough first leg play-off trip to Turkey to face Bursaspor.

FC Twente defeated Czech side Mlada Boleslav 2-0 home and away in the previous round and have won their opening two league games against Groningen and NAC Breda respectively, so are on a high at the moment and 11/8 for a first leg away win looks a decent price.

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England

The manner in which the Three Lions disposed of Bulgaria will have thrilled Capello and fans alike with a ruthless attacking display making a mockery of pre-match fears that it was going to be a tricky evening for the men in black.

Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Stewart Downing and Theo Walcott all enjoyed themselves against an albeit poor Bulgaria defence as England tore their opponents to shreds at times in Sofia.

Rooney and Young picked up where they had left off for Manchester United so far this season, while the pace of Downing and Walcott, often swapping wings to outfox Bulgaria further, caused problems all evening.

Capello had sprung somewhat of a surprise leaving international stalwart Frank Lampard on the bench and going instead with Scott Parker and Gareth Barry in the centre of midfield. It was a decision that paid off, however, as the duo pulled the strings and dictated the game.

Add to this the positive impact Adam Johnson and James Milner had when they came on, too, and suddenly England had a young, hungry side looking every bit like one capable of going on to win Euro 2012 – should they qualify of course.

It’s tempting to say that appears a foregone conclusion now, but there still remains two difficult games to come in the group – starting with Wales at Wembley on Tuesday.

England should have too much for Gary Speed’s side, especially now Craig Bellamy and David Vaughan are suspended after being booked in their impressive win over Montenegro (10/1 to win Group G), and another victory over their local rivals will leave Capello’s men on the brink of qualification.

Then comes the final match in Montenegro, which will be a tough game. Although that’s what many were predicting before the Bulgaria showdown.

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