The 2026-27 UEFA Europa League play-offs concluded with mixed results for the contributing clubs. Ararat-Armenia played against Craiova in the second leg of the Europa League play-off. Craiova struggled to create scoring opportunities, while Carlos Mora received a red card. Ararat-Armenia failed to score in the first half. After half-time, Sandro Lima scored for Ararat-Armenia. In the end, Ararat-Armenia defeated Craiova.
RB Salzburg defeated Mjällby in their most recent game. Neither team scored in the first half. After half-time, Karim Konaté scored twice, and Haris Tabaković scored for RB Salzburg. Lillestrøm claimed a victory against Egnatia in their latest fixture. Egnatia took control of the match as Eljon Sota found the net. Sander Moen Foss and Thomas Lehne Olsen each scored for Lillestrøm. Upcoming Matchday 1 will mark the beginning of their UEFA Europa League campaigns.
Matchday 1 Schedule: Timings and Dates
Games
Dates
Time Zone ET
Time Zone PT
Time Zone IST
Venues
Omonoia vs Celta
September 16, 2026
12:45 PM
09:45 AM
10:15 PM
GSP Stadium, Strovolos
Ararat-Armenia vs Sparta Praha
September 16, 2026
12:45 PM
09:45 AM
10:15 PM
Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan
Olympiacos vs Jagiellonia Białystok
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus
Anderlecht vs OL
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Lotto Park, Anderlecht
Leverkusen vs Celje
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
BayArena, Leverkusen
Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Milan vs Benfica
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
San Siro, Milan
Sturm Graz vs Rennes
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Liebenauer Stadium, Graz
H. Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb
September 16, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Superbet Arena-Giulești, Bucharest
Levski Sofia vs RB Salzburg
September 17, 2026
12:45 PM
09:45 AM
10:15 PM
Georgi Asparuhov, Sofia
OFI vs Hoffenheim
September 17, 2026
12:45 PM
09:45 AM
10:15 PM
Pagritio, Crete, Greece
Celtic vs Ferencváros
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Celtic Park, Glasgow
Juventus vs NEC
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Allianz Stadium, Turin
Viktoria Plzeň vs Union
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Doosan Arena, Plzeň
Beşiktaş vs Marseille
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Tüpraş Stadium, Istanbul
Lillestrøm vs Torreense
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Åråsen Stadion, Lillestrøm
Palace vs Lech Poznań
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Selhurst Park, London
Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth
September 17, 2026
03:00 PM
12:00 PM
12:30 AM (Next Day)
Reale Arena, Donostia / San Sebastián
Key Teams and Expected Lineups
Leverkusen vs Celje
Date: September 16, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen.
Possible Lineups for Leverkusen
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Mark Flekken, Janis Blaswich, and Niklas Lomb
Defenders
Facundo Medina, Miguel Gutiérrez, Jarell Quansah, Loïc Badé, Edmond Tapsoba, Lucas Vázquez, and Guéla Doué
Midfielders
Equi Fernández, Robert Andrich, Malik Tillman, Aleix García, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Ibrahim Maza, and Montrell Culbreath
Forwards
Afonso Moreira, Martin Terrier, Patrik Schick, Moussa Diaby, Nathan Tella, and Christian Kofane
Darko Hrka, Benjamin Verbič, Mario Kvesić, Svit Sešlar, Milot Avdyli, Papa Daniel, Luka Vešner Tičić, Andrej Kotnik, Mark Zabukovnik, and Veton Tusha
Forwards
Blaž Kramer, Dejan Suhovršnik, Armandas Kučys, and Yaya Dukuly
Team Analysis
Leverkusen faced Union Berlin in a Bundesliga fixture. Leverkusen recorded more shots and shots on target than Union Berlin. They enjoyed more possession and higher pass accuracy throughout the match. They had more corner kicks than Union Berlin. Union Berlin recorded fewer shots and shots on target. They had less possession, lower pass accuracy, and fewer corner kicks than Leverkusen. Leverkusen beat Union Berlin. Leverkusen will have home advantage and will aim to secure another victory in the upcoming game.
Celje faced Slovan Bratislava in their most recent game. Celje recorded more shots and shots on target than Slovan Bratislava. They had more possession but fewer corner kicks than Slovan Bratislava. Slovan Bratislava recorded fewer shots and fewer shots on target. They had less possession throughout the game. Celje suffered a defeat to Slovan Bratislava. Furthermore, Celje has struggled in recent European competition.
The Pick: Leverkusen
Milan vs Benfica
Date: September 16, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: San Siro, Milan.
Possible Lineups for Milan
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Pietro Terracciano and Mike Maignan
Defenders
Pervis Estupiñán, Koni De Winter, Sankhoun Diawara, Fikayo Tomori, Strahinja Pavlović, Mario Gila, Filippo Terracciano, and Matteo Gabbia
Midfielders
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modrić, Omari Hutchinson, Diego Moreira, Ardon Jashari, Alexis Saelemaekers, Alphadjo Cisse, and Yunus Musah
Forwards
Gonçalo Ramos, Christian Pulišić, and Samuel Chukwueze
Possible Lineups for Benfica
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Anatoliy Trubin, Samuel Soares, Diogo Ferreira, Arnas Voitinovičius, and Leonardo Lopes
Defenders
Clément Lenglet, Alessandro Circati, Alexander Bah Samuel Dahl, Gabriel Índio, Souffian El Karouani, Tomás Araújo, João Fonseca, Daniel Banjaqui, José Neto, and Rui Silva
Midfielders
Enzo Barrenechea, Fredrik Aursnes, Georgiy Sudakov, Manu Silva, Leandro Barreiro, João Palhinha, Miguel Figueiredo, Gonçalo Moreira, Martim Ferreira, and Tiago Freitas
Forwards
Dodi Lukébakio, Jakub Kamiński, Vangelis Pavlidis, Andreas Schjelderup, Jhon Durán, Gianluca Prestianni, Rafa Silva, Claudio Echeverri, Anísio Cabral, Olívio Tomé, Francisco Silva, and Eduardo Fernandes
Team Analysis
Milan faced Lazio in a Serie A fixture. Lazio took the lead through Matteo Cancellieri, and Tijjani Noslin also found the net. Milan came under pressure, while Diego Moreira scored twice. In the end, Milan drew 2-2 against Lazio. Additionally, Milan has been in strong recent form and will have home advantage in the forthcoming fixture.
In contrast, Benfica faced Gil Vicente in a Liga Portugal fixture. Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice, and Gianluca Prestianni scored for Benfica. Ultimately, Benfica claimed victory over Gil Vicente.
The Pick: AC Milan
Juventus vs NEC
Date: September 17, 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin.
Possible Lineups for Juventus
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Kamil Grabara, Carlo Pinsoglio, Guglielmo Vicario, Riccardo Radu, and Raffaele Huli
Defenders
Zeki Çelik, Bremer, Federico Gatti, Lloyd Kelly, Pierre Kalulu, Andrea Cambiaso, Jhon Lucumi, and Juan Cabal
Midfielders
Manuel Locatelli, Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, Kerim Alajbegović, Weston McKennie, Pape Sarr, and Augusto Owusu
Forwards
Francisco Conceição, Randal Kolo Muani, Kenan Yıldız, Jeremie Boga, Nick Woltemade, Nicolás González, Arman Durmiši, and Destiny Elimoghale
Possible Lineups for NEC
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Gonzalo Crettaz, Nikolas Polster, and Joep Geneste
Defenders
Philippe Sandler, Perr Schuurs, Bram Nuytinck, Tobias Storm, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Deveron Fonville, Almugera Kabar, and Gabriel Brás
Midfielders
Darko Nejašmić, Willum Thor Willumsson, Dennis Geiger, Noe Lebreton, and Jamiro Monteiro
Forwards
Emre Mor, Tjaronn Chery, Dušan Tadić, Kaj Sierhuis, Bryan Linssen, Kevin Kers, Ayodele Thomas, and Clement Bischoff
Team Analysis
Juventus uses a primarily 3-4-2-1 or 5-2-3 formation. They have performed strongly in home fixtures this season. Despite their strong home form, Juventus has displayed inconsistent form in the domestic competition. Juventus will now focus on delivering stronger performances in European competition. Their defense has been strong, while their offense has been in weaker form this season. In addition, Juventus has a strong home advantage, and they will look to win the upcoming game.
In contrast, NEC Nijmegen has solid away form and has performed well in their domestic competition. Their poor recent form has been specifically evident at home. NEC has delivered powerful attacking performances in both domestic and European competition. They have shown a leaky defense and will aim to improve in the coming games. Under manager Dick Schreuder, NEC primarily plays a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 formation.
The Pick: Juventus
Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth
Date: September 17, 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Reale Arena, Donostia / San Sebastián.
Possible Lineups for Real Sociedad
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Álex Remiro, Unai Marrero, and Aitor Fraga
Defenders
Jon Aramburu, Aihen Muñoz, Jon Pacheco, Sergio Gómez, Mamadou Sarr, Héctor Fort, and Luken Beitia
Midfielders
Jon Gorrotxategi, Igor Zubeldia, Beñat Turrientes, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pablo Marín, Carlos Soler, Yangel Herrera, Arsen Zakharyan, Luka Sučić, and Alex Lebarbier
Forwards
Ander Barrenetxea, Orri Óskarsson, Gonçalo Guedes, Job Ochieng, and Takefusa Kubo
Possible Lineups for Bournemouth
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Djordje Petrović and Michele Di Gregorio
Defenders
Adrien Truffert, James Hill, Julio Soler, António Silva, Adam Smith, and Bafodé Diakité
Midfielders
Lewis Cook, David Brooks, Alex Scott, Tyler Adams, Marcus Tavernier, and Alex Tóth
Forwards
Evanilson, Ryan Christie, Justin Kluivert, Amine Adli, Eli Junior Kroupi, Álvaro Rodríguez, and Rayan
Team Analysis
Real Sociedad faced Atlético Madrid in their most recent fixture. Real Sociedad recorded fewer shots and shots on target. They had less possession, higher pass accuracy, and more corner kicks than Atlético Madrid. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid recorded more shots and shots on target. They also had less possession and lower pass accuracy throughout the match. In the end, Real Sociedad lost to Atlético Madrid. With a home advantage, Real Sociedad will grab a home victory in their forthcoming fixture.
Bournemouth played against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup game. Bournemouth recorded more shots and shots on target. Ultimately, Bournemouth defeated Lincoln City.
The Pick: Real Sociedad
Conclusion
The 2026-27 UEFA Europa League has reached Matchday 1. Omonoia will face Celta at home. Which team will take a win on Matchday 1? Ararat-Armenia will aim to use a strong home advantage to take another victory against Sparta Praha at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium. The remaining clubs will aim to retain their strong form and claim crucial points in the upcoming matchday.