Arsenal begin their 2017 UEFA Europa League group phase against 1. FC Koln at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, as Everton face a tricky road trip to Atalanta.

Italian giants AC Milan travel to Austria Vienna, while Marseille host Konyaspor of the Turkish Super Lig.

Lyon also feature in this season's competition, and they travel to Cyprus to meet Apollon Limassol.

Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Villarreal of La Liga all feature, as do former UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Here are the fixtures and predictions for Thursday's opening matchday:

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Slavia Prague vs. Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Group A)—2-1

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Villarreal vs. FC Astana (Group A)—3-0

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Dynamo Kiev vs. Skenderbeu (Group B)—1-0

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Young Boys vs. Partizan Belgrade (Group B)—2-2

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Istanbul Basaksehir vs. Ludogorets Razgrad (Group C)—1-2

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—1899 Hoffenheim vs. Sporting Braga (Group C)—1-1

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Austria Vienna vs. AC Milan (Group D)—2-1

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—HNK Rijeka vs. AEK Athens (Group D)—2-0

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Apollon Limassol vs. Lyon (Group E)—1-3

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—Atalanta vs. Everton (Group E)—1-1

6 p.m. (BST)/1 p.m. (ET)—FC Copenhagen vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (Group F)—2-3

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Steaua Bucharest vs. Viktoria Plzen (Group G)—2-0

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs. Lugano (Group G)—1-1

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Arsenal vs. 1. FC Koln (Group H)—3-0

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Crvena Zvezda vs. BATE Borisov (Group H)—2-1

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Marseille vs. Konyaspor (Group I)—4-1

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Vitoria Guimaraes vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (Group I)—1-2

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Hertha BSC vs. Athletic Bilbao (Group J)—2-2

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Zorya Luhansk vs. Ostersunds FK (Group J)—0-0

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—SV Zulte Waregem vs. Nice (Group K)—0-1

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Vitesse vs. Lazio (Group K)—2-1

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Real Sociedad vs. Rosenborg (Group L)—1-1

8:05 p.m. (BST)/3:05 p.m. (ET)—Vardar vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg (Group L)—1-2

Full TV coverage listings are available via UEFA.com.

Streams: BT Sport, ITV Hub, Fox Sports.

Arsenal vs. 1. FC Koln

After failing to land a spot in the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal will take part in this season's Europa League, fighting for the trophy won by Manchester United last season.

The Gunners are likely to shuffle the pack in Group H after beginning their Premier League exploits, with England international Jack Wilshere available after injury.

Per Sami Mokbel of MailOnline, Wilshere is ready to face the travelling party from Cologne, with Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud also expected to feature.

After the closure of the summer transfer window, Sanchez will once again be tasked with leading his team to silverware.

The 28-year-old scored 27 goals and provided 13 assists in the Premier League and Europe last term, according to WhoScored.com.

Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger has been in charge in north London since 1996, but his tenure remains under threat after chronic underachievement in recent years.

However, it is the perfect time to face the Billy Goats, who sit bottom of the Bundesliga after losing their opening three games in Germany.

Atalanta vs. Everton

The Goddess and the Toffees offer up an intriguing start to Group E, with Everton investing heavily in their squad under coach Ronald Koeman.

According to Transfermarkt, the Goodison Park outfit have a net spend of £142 million this summer, capturing Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen—and the free transfer of Wayne Rooney from Manchester United.

However, Everton are just 16th after their opening games in England, piling the pressure on Koeman and his squad.

Rooney impressed in his first games back in a blue shirt, with the 31-year-old legend netting against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Everton have struggled to put the ball in the net since, losing 2-0 at Chelsea and soundly thrashed 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison.

A trip to Bergamo to face one of Italy's most improved sides over the past year will be a daunting task for the Merseyside outfit, with Atalanta proving to be a tough opponent for any team in Serie A.