Porto, Panathinaikos, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Genk, and Ferencvaros are one step closer to the Europa League quarter-finals after they won their opening legs against VfB Stuttgart, Real Betis, Lille, Nottingham Forest, SC Freiburg, and Braga. Meanwhile, it’s honours even for Bologna, AS Roma, Celta Vigo, and Lyon.
There’s still much more to play for on Thursday night, as the leading teams have only a slender advantage against their counterparts because there were no blowouts, so they’re still not yet out of the woods. And as always, football fans will continue to get their usual dose of Europa League 2026 highlights from different parts of Europe.
As the Round of 16 gauntlet intensifies, continue to read below, as SBOTOP has you covered with the preview of the Top 3 games from Thursday’s eight-game schedule, as well as our recommended options in the updated Europa League 2026 odds.
Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest lost 1-0 to Midtjylland last Thursday at City Ground, despite having 57.5-per cent of the ball and more total shots (22 to six) than their Danish counterparts, and now they’ll face a hostile crowd this midweek. The winner of this Round of 16 tie will play VfB Stuttgart or Porto in the next round.
Vitor Pereira’s side was expected to dominate the proceedings against Midtjylland, and they did just that amid the inclement weather. Elliot Anderson was superb in the middle of the park, as he threaded passes and added to their forays in the final third, especially in the opening 45 minutes, with him, Igor Jesus, Ola Aina, and Omari Hutchinson all testing goalkeeper Elias Olafsson.
However, their efforts went to waste in the 80th minute, as Cho Gue-Sung came off the bench and scored the only goal of the match. The Korean forward headed the ball into the back of the net during a set piece, giving Midtjylland the edge heading into the second leg.
The Tricky Trees are eager to return to winning ways, especially after a goalless draw against Fulham, following their first-leg loss. But overall, they’ve shown in the first leg that they have the quality to beat their Danish counterparts this midweek.
Betting tip – Nottingham Forest Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.11
Porto vs VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart’s hopes of reaching the Europa League quarter-finals hit a snag, following their 2-1 loss to Porto last week. They fell 2-0 down inside the first 30 minutes after goals from Terem Moffi and Rodrigo Mora. However, Deniz Undav’s consolation goal in the 40th minute gave them a sliver of hope. Angelo Stiller thought he’d completed Die Schwaben’s comeback with 20 minutes left, but his close-range rebound was ruled out for an offside in the build-up according to the VAR.
Die Schwaben bounced back with a 1-0 win against RB Leipzig in their next Bundesliga match, as Undav was on the scoresheet once again. The German striker has now scored five goals in five consecutive league appearances, making him the man to watch if you’re Porto.
Not to be outdone, Porto followed up their first-leg victory with a 3-0 rout of Moreirense in the Primeira Liga last night. Moffi and Mora were put on the bench for this match, but Gabri Veiga, Oskar Pietuszewski, and William Gomes took care of the scoring for Francesco Farioli’s side.
Porto will need another huge night from starting goalkeeper Diogo Costa, their unsung hero in the first leg. Costa was their Man of the Match after he made six saves (including two inside the box) and 13 recoveries while winning all of his duels.
Betting tip – Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.00
Aston Villa vs Lille
Aston Villa won 1-0 in the opening leg at Lille last week, as Ollie Watkins headed Emiliano Buendia’s flick-on during the 61st minute. The Englishman almost completed a brace, while Buendia and Amadou Onana also had their chances, but to no avail.
However, the Villans looked flat in their 3-1 away loss to Manchester United last Saturday, which dropped them to fourth in the Premier League standings. The only positive about the defeat was the return of skipper John McGinn, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since mid-January.
Meanwhile, Lille bounced back with a 2-1 win over Rennes yesterday, extending their unbeaten run in Ligue 1. Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Hakon Haraldsson were on the scoresheet for Les Dogues. Because of his Man-of-the-Match-calibre performance, Fernandez-Pardo could start as their No. 9 against Aston Villa, relegating Olivier Giroud to the bench.
Betting tip – Aston Villa Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.92
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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