Uefa Europa League: Thursday second legs set up Friday draw
Thursday's second-leg matches in the uefa europa league on February 26 will decide a string of ties ahead of the draw scheduled for the following day, when the round of 16 opponents are confirmed.
Who will know their round of 16 rivals
Aston Villa, Braga, Freiburg, Lyon, Midtjylland, Porto, Real Betis and Roma will learn their round of 16 opponents after the second legs on Thursday, and the competition's table is split so each of those teams faces only two possible opponents. The two-option setup means each club listed will have a clear pair of potential rivals to prepare for when the draw is held on Friday.
Thursday's matches and kickoff times
The second-leg schedule on Thursday, February 26, features four early kickoffs at 18: 45 CET / 17: 45 GMT and four later games at 21: 00 CET / 20: 00 GMT. The matches and times are:
- Ferencváros vs Ludogorets Razgrad: 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT
- VfB Stuttgart vs Celtic: 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT
- Viktoria Plzeň vs Panathinaikos: 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT
- Crvena Zvezda vs Lille: 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT
- Bologna vs Brann: 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT
- Celta Vigo vs PAOK: 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT
- Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahçe: 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT
- Genk vs Dinamo Zagreb: 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT
Possible round of 16 pairings
Because of how the knockout play-off table is divided, each advancing side from the listed second legs will land in one of two matchups. The explicit pairing possibilities ahead of Friday's draw are:
Ludogorets or Ferencvaros vs. Porto or Braga
Celtic or Stuttgart vs. Porto or Braga
Panathinaikos or Viktoria Plzen vs. Midtjylland or Betis
Fenerbahçe or Nottingham Forest vs. Midtjylland or Betis
GNK Dinamo or Genk vs. Freiburg or Roma
Brann or Bologna vs. Freiburg or Roma
PAOK or Celta vs. Lyon or Aston Villa
Lille or Crvena Zvezda vs. Lyon or Aston Villa
Several clubs in the uefa europa league will therefore be preparing for just two distinct opponents depending on Thursday's results, narrowing scouting and travel plans ahead of the draw.
What comes next
The draw to decide the round of 16 matchups will take place the day after the second legs, on Friday, following the conclusion of the February 26 fixtures. Teams that progress will discover which of their two possible opponents they will face in the next phase when the draw is held.
