UEFA Europa League 2026-27: 2nd Qualifying Round Leg 2 Picks

Introduction

The second leg in the UEFA Europa League qualification round presents a scene full of drama. The competing teams have a must-win situation for their dream to play in continental competitions to remain intact. After an agonizing first leg, teams have been left with no margin of error. The coaches will need to make their team play cautiously but aggressively in the process.

Away goals no longer carry double weight in any UEFA competition. The trailing team is left with one single aim in the game that is nothing but winning the tie. Teams such as HNK Hajduk Split and Beşiktaş J.K. are likely to adopt a slow pace in the game. They will try to frustrate their hosts. On the other hand, teams playing catch-up will have no option but to use the home crowd pressure on them. They need to use this pressurized situation on opponents to create early mistakes.

UEFA Europa League: 1^st Leg Recap & 2^nd Leg Expectations

The first part of the second qualification round for the UEFA Europa League produced some very tactical games. There are some very high-scoring ones. Of the nine matches, Hajduk Split has managed to create a multi-goal lead, as has PAOK. At the same time, the rest are all finely poised with narrow advantages or a draw between them.

UEFA Europa League First Leg Summary

• The Top Performers: Hajduk Split managed to create the most comfortable situation with their 2-0 home victory against Pafos. This was the result of efficient finishing along with solid defense. An unexpected finish with a five-goal win by M Tel-Aviv over Sheriff.
• The Show Stoppers: PAOK and Dynamo Kyiv had a five-goal thriller, 3-2, wherein PAOK had the upper hand with their attacking approach.
• The Toughest Fights: Beşiktaş won 1-0 over Midtjylland while CSKA Sofia managed to keep it goalless in Baku versus Qarabağ.

What to Expect for the UEFA Europa League Second Leg?

• Home Turnaround: Midtjylland and CSKA Sofia can look forward to playing their home matches with a great opportunity for them to succeed. These teams will look to apply high pressure from the very start.
• Defensive Setup: Hajduk Split and Beşiktaş have established some decent leads on aggregate. They are expected to field very defensive formations that emphasize tempo of play and quick counterattacks.
• Explosive Match-up: There is nothing but chaos anticipated in the return leg between PAOK and Dynamo Kyiv. Dynamo will need to score a goal in the daunting Toumba Stadium.

UEFA Europa League: 2^nd Leg Schedules

M. Tel-Aviv vs Sheriff

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 12:00 PM ET | 09:00 AM PT | 09:30 PM IST

Venue: Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv

Pafos vs Hajduk Split

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, Paphos

Midtjylland vs Beşiktaş

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: MCH Arena, Herning

Hradec Králové vs Tromsø

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Malšovická arena, Hradec Králové

PAOK vs Dynamo Kyiv

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:45 PM ET | 10:45 AM PT | 11:15 PM IST

Venue: Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki

CSKA Sofia vs Qarabağ

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Bulgarian Army Stadium, CSKA Sofia

Ferencváros vs Twente

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Groupama Arena, Ferencváros

Anderlecht vs Hammarby

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Lotto Park, Anderlecht

Benfica vs St. Gallen

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 03:00 PM ET | 12:00 PM PT | 12:30 AM IST (Next day)

Venue: Estádio da Luz, Benfica

UEFA Europa League 2^nd Leg Qualifying round: Selected Previews

Pafos vs Hajduk Split

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, Paphos

Expected Team Squad

Pafos (4-3-3)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Radosław Majecki
Defenders	David Goldar, Samy Mmaee, David Luiz, Nicholas Ioannou
Midfielders	Biel Teixeira, Ivan Šunjić, Pedro Rodrigues (Pêpê)
Forwards	Vlad Dragomir, Lelê, Jajá

Hajduk Split (4-2-3-1)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Toni Silić
Defenders	Mathieu Acapandié, Dario Maresic, Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, Šimun Hrgović
Defensive Midfielders	Adrion Pajaziti, Rokas Pukštas
Attacking Midfielders	Roko Brajković, Dalisson de Almeida, Dario Melnjak
Striker	Michele Šego

Team Analysis

UEFA Europa League First Leg Result:

Hajduk Split 2 – 0 Pafos FC

Aggregate: 2 – 0 in favor of Hajduk Split.

Hajduk Split visits Cyprus with an advantage after the goals scored by Michele Šego and Dario Melnjak. This helped them win 2-0 in the home leg. Pafos had a tough time creating chances for themselves against Hajduk. Now they will have to operate in ultra-offensive mode at home. Even though Pafos may get more possession at home, they still face a difficult task in cracking the Croatian defense. Exposing themselves on the defensive end will only give rise to fast breaks for the Croats. Expect Hajduk to comfortably manage the game tempo, frustrate the hosts, and effectively seal the tie.

UEFA Europa League Expected Second Leg Result: Draw

The Pick: Hajduk Split

Midtjylland vs Beşiktaş

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: MCH Arena, Herning

Expected Team Squad

Midtjylland (4-4-2)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Elías Rafn Ólafsson
Defenders	Rasmus Kristensen, Han-beom Lee, Mads Bech Sørensen, Victor Bak
Midfielders	Darío Osorio, Philip Billing, Pedro Bravo, Valdemar Andreasen
Forwards	Franculino Djú, Cho Gue-sung

Beşiktaş (4-1-4-1)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Alexander Nübel
Defenders	Michael Amir Murillo, Tiago Djaló, Emirhan Topçu, Rıdvan Yılmaz
Defensive Midfielders	Salih Özcan
Attacking Midfielders	Václav Černý, Orkun Kökçü, Junior Olaitan, İlhan Fakılı
Striker	Oh Hyeon-gyu

Team Analysis

UEFA Europa League First Leg Result:

Beşiktaş 1 – 0 FC Midtjylland

Aggregate: 1 – 0 in favor of Beşiktaş

Beşiktaş has a slight advantage going into the clash in Denmark after a goal from Orkun Kökçü in Istanbul. Midtjylland had the better part of the first leg playing with 10 players. A downfall after Friday, when Etim was sent off early on in the game. They defended well enough to still be in the competition. Having a clean slate and encouraged by their victory in the league, Midtjylland are expected to press hard at home. Beşiktaş, on the other hand, will have to maintain control of the midfield to silence the fans.

UEFA Europa League Expected Second Leg Result: 2 – 1 in favor of FC Midtjylland

The Pick: FC Midtjylland

PAOK vs Dynamo Kyiv

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:45 PM ET | 10:45 AM PT | 11:15 PM IST

Venue: Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki

Expected Team Squad

PAOK (4-2-3-1)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Jiří Pavlenka
Defenders	Jonjoe Kenny, Pantelis Chatzidiakos, Giannis Michailidis, Jonathan Gómez
Defensive Midfielders	Christos Zafeiris, Baptiste Santamaria
Attacking Midfielders	Andrija Živković, Giannis Konstantelias, Taison
Striker	Anestis Mythou

Dynamo Kyiv (4-3-3)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Ruslan Neshcheret
Defenders	Tomasz Kędziora, Kristian Bilovar, Taras Mykhavko, Vladyslav Dubinchak
Midfielders	Justin Lonwijk, Volodymyr Brazhko, Mykola Shaparenko
Forwards	Nazar Voloshyn, Matviy Ponomarenko, Eduardo Guerrero

Team Analysis

UEFA Europa League First Leg Result:

FC Dynamo Kyiv 2 – 3 PAOK FC.

Aggregate: 3 – 2 in favor of PAOK FC

In terms of statistics, PAOK is on top after a thrilling 5-goal encounter during the first leg. Giannis Konstantelias was the hero of the Greek club; however, Justin Lonwijk’s late goal saved Dynamo’s qualification hopes. Home advantage is always crucial in this type of encounter, especially when playing at the intimidating Toumba Stadium of PAOK. Dynamo will have to chase the game. They will have to play aggressively and expose their defense right from the onset. This will favor PAOK’s fast counter-attacking transitions. This will allow them to exploit space out wide and find a decisive winning edge.

UEFA Europa League Expected Second Leg Result: 2 – 1 in favor of PAOK FC.

The Pick: PAOK FC

CSKA Sofia vs Qarabağ

Date: 30 July 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Bulgarian Army Stadium, CSKA Sofia

Expected Team Squad

CSKA Sofia (4-2-3-1)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Dimitar Evtimov
Defenders	Ivan Turitsov, Pastor, Facundo Rodríguez, Angelo Martino
Defensive Midfielders	Bruno Jordão, Stefano Sensi
Attacking Midfielders	Mohamed Brahimi, Petko Panayotov, Joël Zwarts
Striker	Sokratis Pittas

Qarabağ (4-3-3)

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Shahrudin Mahammadaliyev
Defenders	Dani Bolt, Badavi Guseynov, Matheus Silva, Elvin Cafarguliyev
Midfielders	Marko Janković, Pedro Bicalho, Joni Montiel
Forwards	Oleksiy Kashchuk, Emmanuel Addai Sawo, Abdellah Zoubir

Team Analysis

UEFA Europa League First Leg Result:

Qarabağ 0 – 0 CSKA Sofia

Aggregate: 0 – 0 tied.

The balance of this fixture hangs in the balance following an opportunistic standoff in Baku. Qarabağ held most of the ball yet failed to break through thanks to an extremely well-drilled defense from the Bulgarians. Moving the match venue to Sofia means that CSKA can afford to gamble more offensively with Joël Zwarts. Qarabağ boasts a wealth of experience in Europe, however, and is devastating when using their flanks with Abdellah Zoubir. A single mistake will decide this matchup. The defensive affair is highly probable before a dramatic conclusion.

UEFA Europa League Expected Second Leg Result: 1 – 0 CSKA Sofia

The Pick: CSKA Sofia

Conclusion

The UEFA Europa League Second Leg qualification match will be marked by extreme drama and tension. Small things can mean the difference between continent-wide success and early disappointment. Without any provision for away goals, it all comes down to being clinical under intense pressure.