UEFA Europa League Round Of 16 Preview: Prediction, Fixtures, Live Streaming – All You Need To Know

The UEFA Europa League 2025-26 will have its eight quarter-finalists as seven teams look to book their place in the last-eight in the Round of 16 second legs on Thursday.

SC Braga became the first quarter-finalist, securing a stunning 4-0 comeback win in the second leg on Wednesday night to overturn a two-goal deficit against Ferencvaros. Ricardo Horta netted a brace for the Liga Portugal side, with Florian Grillitsch and Gabri Martinez also scoring.

Fourteen other teams are still in the race for a place in the quarter-finals, with two matches tied on aggregate and the rest having a one-goal margin at most. As a result, no match is a foregone conclusion, as big names like Lyon, Porto, Aston Villa, and Roma look to keep their European campaigns alive.

Bundesliga side SC Freiburg are down by one goal on aggregate against Genk, courtesy of Zakaria El Ouahdi’s wonderstrike in the first leg. The hosts will look to continue their unbeaten record at home, but the Belgian visitors will be primed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2016-17.

Meanwhile, table-toppers Lyon were stunned by Celta Vigo in the first leg at Balaidos, with the Spanish side securing a one-all draw despite playing with 10 men for almost the entire second half. Paulo Fonseca’s side need a good performance to avoid an upset.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, look to salvage their season with a deep run in Europe, but they need to overcome a one-goal deficit against Midtjylland. The English Premier League side dominated the statistics in the first leg, but Guesung Cho’s late header swung the tie in favour of the Danish club.

In Spain, Real Betis will need to neutralise the Panathinaikos attack. The Greek side has a slender lead, but with both teams missing key players, it will be a battle of tactics between the opposing head coaches – Rafael Benitez and Manuel Pellegrini.

Portuguese heavyweights Porto have a 2-1 advantage over Stuttgart, scoring both goals inside the opening half-hour of the first leg. However, Deniz Undav’s first-half strike has given the German team hope that they can cause an upset at Estadio do Dragao.

The all-Italian clash between Roma and Bologna remains finely poised at 1-1. The Rossoblu were the better side in the first half, but a heap of wasted chances might come back to hurt Vincenzo Italiano’s men as they battle the Giallorossi on their home turf.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, take a one-goal lead as they host Lille at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s team suffered three consecutive losses in the league but remain in the top four, and the Villans will face a tough test against an in-form Lille side, who have won five of their last six games in all competitions.

UEFA Europa League Round Of 16: Fixtures

• Braga 4-0 Ferencvaros (4-2 agg)

• Lyon vs Celta Vigo (1-1 agg) – March 19 at 11:15 PM IST

• Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest (1-0 agg) – March 19 at 11:15 PM IST

• Freiburg vs Genk (0-1 agg) – March 19 at 11:15 PM IST

• Real Betis vs Panathinaikos (0-1 agg) – March 20 at 1:30 AM IST

• Porto vs Stuttgart (2-1 agg) – March 20 at 1:30 AM IST

• Aston Villa vs Lille (1-0 agg) – March 20 at 1:30 AM IST

• Roma vs Bologna (1-1 agg) – March 20 at 1:30 AM IST

UEFA Europa League Round Of 16: Prediction

Midtjylland, who have beaten Nottingham Forest twice (once in the league phase and once in the Round of 16), will be slight favourites even if they are playing the second leg at City Ground. Aston Villa and Lyon will both be strong favourites at home and will likely clinch narrow wins over Lille and Celta Vigo, respectively.

As for Roma vs Bologna, it’s a tough call. However, the visitors are in good form, winning six of their last eight games, while Roma are on a four-match winless run. As a result, the Rossoblu might pull off a healthy win at the Stadio Olimpico.

Porto’s match against Stuttgart will likely be a high-scoring one, much like the first leg that saw a lot of attacking football. However, the Dragons are in superb form, topping the Primeira Liga by seven points, and will likely pull through with a win.

UEFA Europa League Round Of 16: Live Streaming Details