The playing field in this year’s Europa League Round of 16 is all set, as VfB Stuttgart, Porto, Bologna, AS Roma, Panathinaikos, Real Betis, Lille, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Midtjylland, Genk, SC Freiburg, Ferencvaros, Braga, Celta Vigo, and Lyon are left standing. More than winning the prestigious trophy, an outright spot for next season’s Champions League is also up for grabs.
As mentioned before, there are no prohibitive favourites in this year’s tournament, so there’s so much to play for between these 16 teams. According to the Europa League 2026 odds, SBOTOP football fans will undoubtedly get their fair share of Europa League 2026 highlights this midweek.
While there are many games to cover, today, we will preview only the Top 3, as we believe these teams can make a deep run in the competition.
VfB Stuttgart vs Porto
VfB Stuttgart and Porto will meet at the MHPArena on Thursday, marking their first-ever competitive meeting, and both teams are coming off 2-2 draws in their last league match.
After losing 1-0 to Celtic in the second leg of their knockout play-off tie last month, VfB Stuttgart notched a 4-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg before sharing the spoils against Mainz in the Bundesliga, strengthening their hold of a Top 4 berth. Die Schwaben have won five of their seven competitive matches on home soil since the turn of the year (D1, L1), scoring at least three goals in four of those outings. However, head coach Sebastian Hoeneß will be seeking a stronger defensive performance, as they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five European games.
VfB Stuttgart will remain without Lazar Jovanovic (back) and Josha Vagnoman (thigh). Bilal El Khannouss missed the Mainz match due to an accumulation of yellow cards, but his suspension isn’t applicable in Europe. Meanwhile, Maximilian Mittlestadt, Angelo Stiller, and Deniz Undav are one booking away from a ban.
Porto have won just one of their last five away games (D2, L2). Francesco Farioli’s Dragons will remain without Samu Omorodion and Luuk de Jong, as both forwards are sidelined for the rest of the season with knee injuries. Nehuen Perez (Achilles) is also a long-term absentee, while Martim Fernandes is a major doubt after being withdrawn in the second half of this weekend’s clash.
Betting tip – VfB Stuttgart Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.12
Bologna vs AS Roma
Bologna and AS Roma will open their two-legged tie at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Thursday. More than progressing to the next round, both clubs are aiming for the distinction of being the only Serie A team left in the competition.
Since losing at Villa Park on the opening matchday, Bologna have gone undefeated in their next nine Europa League fixtures in the current campaign, matching their all-time best unbeaten run in Europe. However, Vincenzo Italiano’s men are fresh from a 2-1 loss against Hellas Verona in Serie A.
Italiano will have his pick of the litter on Thursday, as defenders Torbjorn Heggem and Juan Miranda have resumed full training recently, and Remo Freuler is available after serving a domestic suspension. Freuler will likely link up with Nikola Moro, who has been one of the most creative players in the tournament this term. Santiago Castro, Riccardo Orsolini, Federico Bernardeschi, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Jonathan Rowe, Benjamin Dominguez, and Thijs Dallinga are all in contention to start up front.
The same can’t be said for AS Roma, who also lost 2-1 to Genoa last Sunday, as Paulo Dybala (knee) is injured again. Evan Ferguson (ankle) is out for the rest of the season, and Artem Dovbyk (thigh) is still unavailable, so Donyell Malen and Matias Soule should spearhead their attack. Wesley Franca is back from a one-match suspension, while fellow defender Gianluca Mancini will serve his in the first leg.
Betting tip – Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.90
Lille vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa will travel to Northern France to take on Lille at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Thursday in what will be the rematch of their pulsating Europa Conference League quarter-finals tie in April 2024.
Unai Emery’s side has suffered a dip in form in the Premier League, having lost several key players to injuries, making the Europa League a welcome distraction and a potential backup route to next season’s Champions League. Youri Tielemans (ankle), Boubacar Kamara (knee), Andres Garcia (thigh), Matty Cash (calf), and John McGinn (knee) will remain sidelined.
Lille will also miss several key players, as Marc-Aurele Caillard (elbow), Osame Sahraoui (groin), Hamza Igamane (ACL), Ethan Mbappe (thigh), and Ousmane Toure (knee) are in the infirmary.
Betting tip – Aston Villa Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.47
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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