The UEFA Europa League enters its last 16 stage as top clubs battle to get a positive result in the first leg scheduled to be played on Thursday night.
It is clear that we will have a new Europa League winner this season, with champions Tottenham Hotspur featuring in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The top five European leagues are still represented by at least two teams as the competition enters this do-or-die knockout stage. With plenty of matches lined up, we have a look at the top games in the first leg and offer our predicted outcome.
Bologna vs AS Roma – Thursday, 8:45PM
Two familiar foes will battle it out in the first leg at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. Both sides are coming off Serie A defeats over the weekend, desperate to bounce back and register a positive result here.
Bologna lost 2-1 at home to Verona, while Roma lost to Genoa by a similar scoreline. However, this is the only defeat either side has suffered in their last five games.
The hosts have enjoyed more success over their opponents in their recent head-to-head matches, winning three of their last five encounters. Though Roma were 1-0 winners when they last met in August 2025.
We can expect a flurry of attacking football from either side and this will undoubtedly lead to at least a couple of goals in the game.
Prediction – Over 1.5 goals – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
Panathinaikos vs Betis – Thursday, 8:45PM
This will be the first ever meeting between these two sides, setting this up to be an electrifying clash with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
The Greek outfit carry a five-game winning streak into this contest, coming off a morale-boosting 4-1 away win against Levadiakos last weekend. They have scored 15 goals in that run, while conceding just three.
They take on a Betis side desperate to return to winning ways after going three games without victory. Most recently, Betis suffered a 2-0 defeat to Getafe in La Liga.
However, only three teams had a better league phase than Betis and this saw them qualify for the last 16 for the first time since 2023. Panathinaikos on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last 21 Europa league home games.
Prediction – Both teams to score – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
Stuttgart vs Porto – Thursday, 8:45PM
The German outfit registered five wins out of eight league phase matches, finishing in 11th place – before defeating Celtic 4-2 on aggregate to qualify for the last 16.
While Porto secured automatic qualification after finishing in fifth place. Since then they have gone on an unconvincing run of form, winning just three of their last seven games.
Stuttgart have only lost one home match in their last 10 and are tipped as favorites to get a positive first leg result here. This will be the first competitive match between these two teams.
Denis Undav has scored three goals in his last four games for Stuttgart and will be a key component of their attack here.
Prediction – Stuttgart to win – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
Celta Vigo vs Lyon – Thursday, 11PM
Celta will host Lyon in arguably one of the biggest last 16 Europa League matches this week. The Spanish outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the weekend, snapping a four-game winning streak.
They welcome a struggling Lyon side who have lost three of their last five games. They however remain confident they can make it into the Europa quarters for the second consecutive season.
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These sides have only faced each other once in their history, Celta Vigo winning 1-0 in a 2023 friendly match. The home team have enjoyed great runs of form at home throughout the season and are favorites to come out on top here.
Prediction – Celta Vigo to win – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
Nottingham vs Midtjylland – Thursday, 11PM
Nottingham beat Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate to qualify for the last 16 and now have to take on Midtjylland for a place in the quarters.
The Danish giants secured automatic qualification after an impressive league phase saw them finish in third place. Midtjylland have won six of the eight Europa games they have played this season.
Midtjylland already got one over their opponents with a thrilling 3-2 victory in the league phase last October. The English Premier League side are seeking revenge here but come into the game low on confidence.
Nottingham are without a win in their last four games – losing thrice. New boss Vitor Perreira is still in search of an elusive first home win in charge of the club.
Prediction – Over 2.5 goals – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
