UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Mashup of Playoff Leg 2

UEFA Europa League: Playoff Leg 1 Recap

The first legs in the UEFA Europa League playoff witnessed a lot of goals. A good display that led to favorable outcomes. A number of teams were able to take a significant lead heading into the second legs. There was a distinct gap between the experienced teams and the underdogs fighting hard. Some of the teams had the ball under control and had many chances in their respective games. Other teams chose to adopt a solid defensive formation and went for the counterattack. In the first legs, there were huge scores in some of the fixtures, making it look very tough to recover.

UEFA Europa League: Leg 2 Schedules

Date	Home Team	Away Team	Time Zones ET	Time Zones PT	Time Zones IST	Venue
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Saburtalo	Jagiellonia Białystok	12:00 PM	09:00 AM	09:30 PM	“Mikheil Meskhi” Stadium
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Ararat-Armenia	Craiova	12:00 PM	09:00 AM	09:30 PM	Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	RB Salzburg	Mjällby	01:00 PM	10:00 AM	10:30 PM	Red Bull Arena, Salzburg
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Lillestrøm	Egnatia	01:00 PM	10:00 AM	10:30 PM	Åråsen Stadion, Lillestrøm
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Kauno Žalgiris	Beşiktaş	01:00 PM	10:00 AM	10:30 PM	Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Omonoia	STVV	01:00 PM	10:00 AM	10:30 PM	GSP Stadium, Nicosia
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Viktoria Plzeň	Crvena zvezda	01:00 PM	10:00 AM	10:30 PM	Doosan Arena, Plzeň
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	AGF	Benfica	02:00 PM	11:00 AM	11:30 PM	Randers Stadium, Randers
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Thun	Lech Poznań	02:00 PM	11:00 AM	11:30 PM	Visana Stadion, Thun
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	CSKA Sofia	OFI	02:00 PM	11:00 AM	11:30 PM	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Ferencváros	Trabzonspor	02:30 PM	11:30 AM	12:00 AM (Next day)	Groupama Aréna, Budapest
27 August 2026 (Thursday)	Anderlecht	Kairat Almaty	02:30 PM	11:30 AM	12:00 AM (Next day)	Lotto Park, Brussels

Match Previews

Kauno Žalgiris vs Beşiktaş 

Date: 27 August 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:00 PM ET | 10:00 AM PT | 10:30 PM IST

Venue: Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas

UEFA Europa League Squad

Kauno Žalgiris

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Deividas Mikelionis, Markas Racius, Vilius Dovydas, Tomas Švedkauskas
Defenders	Anton Tolordava, Aldayr Hernandez, Marko Konatar, Nosa Edokpolor, Joris Moutachy, Lirim Kastrati, Rokas Lekiatas
Midfielders	Amine Benchaib, Yukiyoshi Karashima, Gratas Sirgėdas, Vykintas Slivka, Léo Ribeiro, Ivan Fiolić, Anthony Kalik, Franco Baldassarra, Fabien Ourega, Titas Milius
Forwards	Leon Kreković, Renan Oliveira, Motiejus Burba, Gabriel Debeljuh

Coach: Željko Sopić

Beşiktaş 

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Alexander Nübel, Tuğra Yeşilyurt, Doğan Alemdar, Emir Yaşar
Defenders	Kassoum Ouattara, Emmanuel Agbadou, Taylan Bulut, Rıdvan Yılmaz, Tiago Djaló, Emirhan Topçu, Yasin Özcan, Michael Murillo, Mustafa Yortaç, Cumali Gürsel, Asım Işık
Midfielders	Wilfred Ndidi, Amir Hadžiahmetović, Salih Özcan, Milot Rashica, Kartal Yılmaz, Orkun Kökçü, Junior Olaitan, Václav Černý, Leandro Trossard, Ilhan Fakılı, Ali Pağda, Ozan Sevim
Forwards	Hyeon-gyu Oh, Mustafa Hekimoğlu, Dušan Vlahović, Ahmet Bircan, Semih Kılıçsoy

Coach: Vincenzo Italiano

Team Stats & Performance

UEFA Europa League Playoff Leg 1 Overview

Event	Stats
Scoreline	Beşiktaş 3 – 0 Kauno Žalgiris
Venue	Beşiktaş Park, Istanbul
Goal Scorers	Hyeon-gyu Oh (6′), Murillo (12′), Orkun Kökçü (59′ pen)
Assists	R. Yılmaz (2)

Team Statistics

Statistic	Beşiktaş	Kauno Žalgiris
Possession	74.6%	25.4%
Accurate Passes	636	182
Passing Accuracy	91.9%	74.9%

Analysis

Beşiktaş starts the second leg in Lithuania with a massive 3-0 aggregate advantage. Kauno Žalgiris will have to come out of their defensive shell in search of goals. This will give Beşiktaş opportunities to launch a counterattack. Even after the absence of Leandro Trossard due to an injury, coach Vincenzo Italiano still has enough talent in his team. This allows them to set the pace in the midfield with Orkun Kökçü. Fans can expect a technical, low-risk game, and they will neutralize the pressure. Beşiktaş will follow this to secure their qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

The Pick: Beşiktaş 

AGF vs Benfica

Date: 27 August 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM PT | 11:30 PM IST

Venue: Randers Stadium

UEFA Europa League Squad

AGF

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Otto Lyhne, Marius Van der Raad, Jesper Hansen, Mads Christiansen
Defenders	Colin Rösler, Mouhammade Camara, Liam Eggert, William Laugesen, Christian Storch, Frederik Tingager, Tobias Mølgaard, Eric Kahl, Jacob Andersen, Rasmus Carstensen, Luka Callø, Jonas Jensen-Abbew
Midfielders	Hamuza Sengooba, Zander Grantzau, Adam Fuglsang, Magnus Knudsen, Nikolaj Poulsen, Markus Solbakken, Kristian Arnstad, Gift Links, Jens Jønsson, Oskar Haugstrup, Mikael Anderson
Forwards	Mark Ian Steffensen, Sebastian Jørgensen, Janni Serra, Youssouph Badji, Tómas Óli Kristjánsson, Stefen Tchamche, James Bogere, Tobias Bech, Frederik Emmery

Coach: Jakob Poulsen

Benfica

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Anatoliy Trubin, Samuel Soares, Diogo Ferreira, Arnas Voitinovičius, Leonardo Lopes
Defenders	Clément Lenglet, Alessandro Circati, Alexander Bah, Samuel Dahl, Gabriel Índio, Tomás Araújo, João Fonseca, Daniel Banjaqui, José Neto, Joshua Wynder, Rui Silva
Midfielders	Enzo Barrenechea, Fredrik Aursnes, Georgiy Sudakov, Manu Silva, Leandro Barreiro, Richard Ríos, Miguel Figueiredo, Gonçalo Moreira, Martim Ferreira, Tiago Freitas
Forwards	Dodi Lukébakio, Jakub Kamiński, Vangelis Pavlidis, Andreas Schjelderup, Jhon Durán, Gianluca Prestianni, Rafa Silva, Anísio Cabral, Olívio Tomé, João Rego, Francisco Silva, Eduardo Fernandes

Coach: Marco Silva

Injury List

Unavailable players for AGF: Frederik Tingager (injury), Kevin Yakob (injury), Nicolai Poulsen (injury). 

Unavailable players for Benfica: Fredrik Aursnes (injury).

Team Stats & Performance

UEFA Europa League Playoff Leg 1 Overview

Event	Stats
Scoreline	Benfica 3 – 1 AGF Aarhus
Venue	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon
Goal Scorers	Benfica: Rafa Silva (2′), Leandro Barreiro (31′), Vangelis Pavlidis (45’+2 pen) AGF: Sebastian Jørgensen (36′)
Assists	Benfica: Clément Lenglet (1′) AGF: Jacob Andersen (36′)

Team Statistics

Statistic	Benfica	AGF
Possession	70.6%	29.4%
Total Shots (On Target)	32 (13)	3 (1)
Corners Won	11	1
Accurate Passes	608 (91%)	211 (76%)

Analysis

It is clear that Benfica now has full control of the tie after displaying superiority in Lisbon. For AGF Aarhus to turn things around after the 3-1 scoreline. They have no choice but to open up and be adventurous at Cepheus Park Randers. This, however, will leave them vulnerable to counterattacks from Benfica, which are spearheaded by Rafa Silva and Vangelis Pavlidis. Benfica’s midfield will dominate the Danish side in possession and neutralize the threat at home.

The Pick: Benfica

Thun vs Lech Poznań

Date: 27 August 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM PT | 11:30 PM IST

Venue: Visana Stadion, Thun

UEFA Europa League Squad

Thun

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Niklas Steffen, Dario Wälti, Tim Spycher, Leo Stucki
Defenders	Nicolas Bürgy, Ashvin Balaruban, Tom Strannegård, Jan Bamert, Marco Bürki, Mats Seiler, Michael Heule, Lucien Dähler, Fabio Fehr, Louis Passavant
Midfielders	Fabio Saiz, Nassim Zoukit, Justin Roth, Dorian Derbaci, Nico Maier, Adam Ilic, Amir Maaroufi, Nils Reichmuth, Valmir Matoshi
Forwards	Furkan Dursun, Layton Stewart, Christopher Ibayi, Riccardo Braschi, Marc Gutbub, Simon Lengen, Brighton Labeau

Coach: Gian-Luca Privitelli

Lech Poznań

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Mateusz Lis, Wiktor Obremski, Mateusz Pruchniewski, Bartosz Mrozek
Defenders	Joel Pereira, Alex Douglas, João Moutinho, Michał Gurgul, Robert Gumny, Wojciech Mońka, Terry Yegbe, Mateusz Skrzypczak, Hubert Janyszka
Midfielders	Gustav Berggren, Leo Bengtsson, Pablo Rodríguez, Radosław Murawski, Filip Jagiełło, Antoni Kozubal, Karol Delikat, Luis Palma
Forwards	Yannick Agnero, Mikael Ishak, Patrik Wålemark, Daniel Håkans, Allahyar Sayyadmaneshshiadeh, Wojciech Szymczak

Coach: Niels Frederiksen

Injury List

Unavailable players for Thun: Mattias Käit (injury), Genís Montolio (injury). 

Unavailable players for Lech Poznań: Leo Bengtsson (injury), Filip Jagiello (injury), Kamil Jakóbczyk (injury), Ali Gholizadeh (injury).

Team Stats & Performance

UEFA Europa League Playoff Leg 1 Overview

Event	Stats
Scoreline	Lech Poznań 7 – 0 FC Thun
Venue	Poznań Stadium, Poznań
Goal Scorers	Lech Poznań: Patrik Wålemark (10′, 25′), Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (20′), Mateusz Skrzypczak (31′), Radosław Murawski (45′), Daniel Håkans (48′), Robert Gumny (79′)
Assists	Lech Poznań: Pablo Rodríguez (2), Michał Gurgul (1), Antoni Kozubal (1), Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (1), Gustav Berggren (1)

Team Statistics

Statistic	Lech Poznań	FC Thun
Possession	56.2%	43.8%
Total Shots (On Target)	20 (11)	9 (4)
Accurate Passes	383 (87.4%)	276 (79.8%)
Corners Won	5	3

Analysis

The exodus of talent from FC Thun means that they have been stripped of any structure. Hence, they lost their first-leg match with utter disgrace. Poznań enters the UEFA Europa League second leg with an aggregate lead of 7 goals. Lech Poznań will be able to use a lot of substitutes in order to preserve some energy for local affairs. Thun will try to save face in their own arena, but their porous defense will make it difficult for them. A low-tempo match where Lech will concentrate on progression and secure the position.

The Pick: Lech Poznań

Anderlecht vs Kairat

Date: 27 August 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:30 PM ET | 11:30 AM PT | 12:00 AM IST (Next day)

Venue: Lotto Park, Anderlecht

UEFA Europa League Squad

Anderlecht

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Colin Coosemans, Justin Heekeren, Mattis Seghers, Michiel Haentjens
Defenders	Zoumana Keita, Giulian Biancone, Moussa Ndiaye, Ludwig Augustinsson, Leo Petrot, Ali Maamar, Kaïs Barry, Basile Vroninks
Midfielders	Marten Winkler, Nathan Saliba, Lukáš Ambros, Enric Llansana, Mario Stroeykens, Marco Kana, Omar Sarr, Joshua Nga Kana, Alexander De Ridder, Noah Kalonji, Tristan Degreef
Forwards	Mihajlo Cvetković, Oliver Antman, Danylo Sikan, César Huerta, Adriano Bertaccini, Jayden Onia Seke, Noa Ojea, Terry Van De Ven

Coach: Vitor Bruno

Kairat

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Temirlan Anarbekov, Danila Buch, Sherhan Kalmurza
Defenders	Luís Mata, Damir Kassabulat, Lev Kurgin, Aleksandr Martynovich, Alexandr Mrynskiy, Alexandr Shirobokov, Adlan Nurgaliyev, Lucas Áfrico, Daniyar Tashpulatov
Midfielders	Adilet Sadybekov, Olzhas Baibek, Jaakko Oksanen, Azamat Tuyakbayev, Oiva Jukkola, Yerkin Tapalov, Gustavo Mendonça, Mukhamedali Abish
Forwards	Edmilson, Mansur Birkurmanov, Marc Gual, Ismail Bekbolat

Coach: Rafael Urazbakhtin

Injury List

Unavailable players for Anderlecht: Killian Sardella (injury), Ilay Camara (injury), Lucas Hey (injury), Cedric Hatenboer (injury).

Team Stats & Performance

UEFA Europa League Playoff Leg 1 Overview

Event	Stats
Scoreline	Kairat Almaty 0 – 3 Anderlecht
Venue	Central Stadium, Almaty
Goal Scorers	Anderlecht: Jaakko Oksanen (2′ OG), Lukáš Ambros (24′), Danylo Sikan (45’+1)
Assists	Anderlecht: Lukáš Ambros (1)
Discipline	Kairat: Alexandr Shirobokov (40′ Red Card)

Team Statistics

Statistic	Kairat Almaty	Anderlecht
Possession	31%	69%
Total Shots (On Target)	4 (2)	6 (4)
Corners Won	2	8
Red Cards	1	0

Analysis

Anderlecht comes into the home game in full control, having taken advantage of the early mistakes made by Kairat. Along with the loss of their man in the first half due to a sending-off. They have ahead of them: Kairat needs to be very attacking in nature against Anderlecht at the Lotto Park Stadium. Thus, making them very susceptible to counterattacks from the Belgian side. In fact, Anderlecht will comfortably secure their position in the UEFA Europa League phase.

The Pick: Anderlecht

Final Thoughts

The UEFA Europa League playoffs have given many teams a strong platform for qualification. Some matches remain open, while others now appear more one-sided. The results showed that attacking efficiency can quickly change the direction of a playoff tie. Teams with a large aggregate can now play their return games more carefully. The UEFA Europa League 2nd Leg will provide the final answer for the spot.