5 must-see Europa League matches

Even though it lacks the fame and glamour of the Champions League, the Europa League still offers a handful of marquee matches that are certainly worth a watch on Thursdays this fall.

Here's five matches that will be worth your time after all the Champions League matches have concluded:

1. AS Monaco vs. Tottenham - Oct. 1

A victory over AS Monaco through two legs will give Tottenham supporters something to brag about when they clash with their north London neighbours, Arsenal.

The Premier League side was handed a difficult group Friday, with AS Monaco posing the biggest threat to Tottenham's chances of advancing past the group stage.

If last season's Round of 16 tilt against Arsenal is anything to go by, Tottenham will avoid taking its French opponents lightly during the encounter at White Hart Lane after witnessing Monaco come away with a crucial victory the last time it traveled to north London.

2. Ajax vs. Celtic - Sept. 17

Though three teams could conceivably emerge from Group A, many will look to Ajax and Celtic as clubs with the experience and talent most capable of advancing to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Both teams will be desperate to improve on the disappointing form they displayed during the Champions League playoff round. While Celtic narrowly missed out on making it to the group stage, Ajax was thoroughly embarrassed when it failed to advance out of the qualifying process during a 5-4 aggregate defeat to Rubin Kazan.

Either way, the clash between these two European giants should provide quality football and an electric atmosphere in Scotland and Holland between the former European champions.

3. Ajax vs. Fenerbahce - Nov. 5

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Robin van Persie when Fenerbahce travels to Holland to face his country's most famous club, Ajax.

The Rotterdam native will lead his new Turkish squad in its journey to achieve greatness on the European stage following a summer of big-money transfers.

The match figures to be heated as both sides try to avoid missing out on the knockout stage in perhaps one of the most difficult groups in the competition.

4. Bordeaux vs. Liverpool - Sept. 17

It's certainly not the tournament Brendan Rodgers and his squad had hoped to be competing in, but Liverpool will undoubtedly be determined to capture silverware in a continental tournament for the first time in over 10 years.

Bordeaux poses the biggest obstacle in achieving that goal, but the Merseyside outfit should fare well in the group stage against a collection of relatively straightforward opponents.

The Reds have the squad depth to ensure a healthy rotation of players after last season's questions regarding the team's ability to field a quality team in multiple competitions.

5. Midtjylland vs. Napoli - Oct. 22

It's not the most attractive encounter, but it is the most surprising, considering Midtjylland's triumph over Southampton in the play-off round to reach the group stage of the Europa League for the first time in its history.

The Danish club will look to play spoiler during the group stage and hope its opponents underestimate the cautious, yet effective, approach that worked so well against the Premier League team.

While a trip to St. Jakob-Park in Basel for the Europa League final is impossible to imagine, let's hope the European minnow can wreak havoc and cause a upset or two along the way.