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 ZonesET
Time ZonesPT
Time ZonesIST
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
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).
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
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
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.