UEFA Europa League Matchday 2: Every On-Field Goal Matters

UEFA Europa League: Matchday 2 Overview

UEFA Europa League Matchday 2 has 18 matches with teams playing to earn vital points. Teams will try to make good use of their initial match results. This article highlights all these matches, including the grounds, team statistics, and match analysis. In each preview, consideration is given to the latest form, possession, shooting, defense, and absent players.

UEFA Europa League: Event Details

Event	Details
Main Event	UEFA Europa League Matchday 2
Dates	15 October 2026
Venues	Multiple Venues as listed below
Broadcast	Sony LIV, Paramount +, TNT Sports

UEFA Europa League: Full Schedule

Date & day	Fixture	ET	PT	IST	Venue
15 October 2026, Thursday	Sparta Praha vs Lillestrøm	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	epet ARENA, Prague
15 October 2026, Thursday	AZ Alkmaar vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar
15 October 2026, Thursday	RB Salzburg vs AC Milan	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	Red Bull Arena, Salzburg
15 October 2026, Thursday	Lech Poznań vs Bayer Leverkusen	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	Poznań Stadium, Poznań
15 October 2026, Thursday	Celje vs Omonia	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	Z’dežele Stadium, Celje
15 October 2026, Thursday	Lyon vs Crystal Palace	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu
15 October 2026, Thursday	Union SG vs Real Sociedad	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium
15 October 2026, Thursday	Torreense vs Sunderland	12:45 PM	9:45 AM	10:15 PM	Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria
15 October 2026, Thursday	Bournemouth vs Sturm Graz	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
15 October 2026, Thursday	Ferencváros vs Viktoria Plzeň	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Groupama Aréna, Budapest
15 October 2026, Thursday	Dinamo Zagreb vs Anderlecht	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb
15 October 2026, Thursday	Jagiellonia Białystok vs Ararat-Armenia	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Chorten Arena, Białystok
15 October 2026, Thursday	N.E.C. Nijmegen vs Levski Sofia	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	N.E.C., Nijmegen
15 October 2026, Thursday	Marseille vs Olympiacos	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
15 October 2026, Thursday	Celta Vigo vs Juventus	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Estadio de Balaídos, Vigo
15 October 2026, Thursday	Benfica vs Celtic	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon
15 October 2026, Thursday	Rennes vs OFI Crete	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	Roazhon Park, Rennes
15 October 2026, Thursday	Hoffenheim vs Beşiktaş	3:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next day)	SNP Arena, Sinsheim

UEFA Europa League: Match Previews

Match 1: RB Salzburg vs AC Milan

Date: 15 October 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 12:45 PM ET | 09:45 AM PT | 10:15 PM IST

Venue: Red Bull Arena, Salzburg

UEFA Europa League Projected Squad List

RB Salzburg

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Christian Früchtl, Nikola Sarcevic, Christian Zawieschitzky
Defenders	John Mellberg, Frans Krätzig, Tim Drexler, Stefan Lainer, Dominik Schmid, Leandro Morgalla, Kevin Boma, Valentin Zabransky
Midfielders	Soumaila Diabate, Umut Tohumcu, Bartosz Mazurek, Nikolas Veratschnig, Gaoussou Diakite, Abubakr Barry, Aboubacar Camara, Jesper Lindstrøm, Justin Omoregie
Forwards	Sota Kitano, Haris Tabaković, Yorbe Vertessen, Karim Konaté, Edmund Baidoo, Damir Redzic, Enrique Aguilar
Coach	Danny Röhl

AC Milan

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Pietro Terracciano, Mike Maignan, Matteo Pittarella, Lorenzo Torriani
Defenders	Pervis Estupiñán, Koni De Winter, Sankhoun Diawara, Fikayo Tomori, Strahinja Pavlović, Davide Bartesaghi, Mario Gila, Valeri Vladimirov, Filippo Terracciano, Emanuele Borsani, Matteo Gabbia
Midfielders	Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modrić, Omari Hutchinson, Diego Moreira, Christian Comotto, Ardon Jashari, Lorenzo Ossola, Alexis Saelemaekers, Alphadjo Cisse, Yunus Musah
Forwards	Gonçalo Ramos, Christian Pulišić, Samuel Chukwueze, Francesco Camarda
Coach	Ruben Amorim

Injured Players List

Unavailable players for Salzburg: Christian Zawieschitzky (injury), Nikolas Veratschnig (injury), Enrique Aguilar (injury), Justin Omoregie (injury), Damir Redzic (injury), Johannes Moser (injury), Soumaïla Diabaté (injury).

Unavailable players for Milan: Matteo Gabbia (injury), Alexis Saelemaekers (injury).

Team Analysis with Stats Comparison at UEFA Europa League

Metric	Salzburg	AC Milan
Matchday 1 result	Won 1–0	Lost 0–2
Goals scored	1	0
Goals conceded	0	2
Possession (%)	50%	59%
Passing accuracy (%)	89%	90%
Attempts on target	7	4
Balls recovered	38	34
Clean sheets	1	0

Analysis

The Salzburg team has a head start. They managed to defeat Levski Sofia 1-0 with seven shots on target and no goals scored against them. Milan suffered a 2- 0 loss against Benfica. Yet they had four shots on target and about 60% possession of the ball. The advantage that the Salzburg team has could be a problem for Milan’s defense. Milan will respond with their quality squad if they use their chances.

The Pick: RB Salzburg

Match 2: Lyon vs Crystal Palace

Date: 15 October 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 12:45 PM ET | 09:45 AM PT | 10:15 PM IST

Venue: Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu

UEFA Europa League Projected Squad List

Lyon

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Dominik Greif, Justin Bengui, Yvann Konan, Matthias Da Silva, Rémy Descamps, Mathis Iwosso, Axel Barreau
Defenders	Nicolás Tagliafico, Zachary Athekame, Abner Vinicius, Moussa Niakhaté, Felix Bacher, Ruben Kluivert, Clinton Mata, Steeve Kango, Angel Garcia, Timothée Dutot, Adam Alioui, Billy-Paul Mavudia, Walid Nechab, Kylian Negri, Emanuel Pampi, Mohamed Ouédraogo, Titalom Penka, Aaron Trincat, Noham Kamara
Midfielders	Mads Bidstrup, Tanner Tessmann, Corentin Tolisso, Pavel Šulc, Khalis Merah, Tyler Morton, Julien Duranville, Mathys De Carvalho, Melvyn Otobo, Tiago Goncalves, Hedi Chekhab, Amine Lazrak, Haktan Şener, Noah Nartey
Forwards	Ernest Nuamah, Keito Nakamura, Loïs Openda, Kail Boudache, Adil Hamdani, Rémi Himbert, Mathieu Hoareau, Nehemie Lurika, Djibril Merouani
Coach	Paulo Fonseca

Crystal Palace

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Remi Matthews, Walter Benítez, Marcus Hill, Thiago Speroni, Lucca Benetton
Defenders	Tyrick Mitchell, Axel Disasi, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Honest Ahanor, Chris Richards, Oscar Mingueza, Ben Chilwell, George King, Caleb Kporha, Tyler Whyte, Dean Benamar, Charlie Walker-Smith, Sean Somade, Jasper Judd, Jacob Fasida, Remi Ahazie-Shittu, Kwasi Baah, Anthony Barrett, Dylan Monk, Malik Tejan
Midfielders	Jaydee Canvot, Daichi Kamada, Will Hughes, Adam Wharton, Quinten Timber, Darío Osorio, Joseph Gibbard, Sebastian Williams, Kai-Reece Adams-Collman, Chuks Okoli, Euan Danaher, Raihaan Anderson, Makai Bernard-Ferguson, Ajean-Ray Greaves, Aiden Morgan, Daniel Owoade, Joel Drakes-Thomas, Jay-Emmanuel Jordan, Jamar Lee, Kayden Moses, Sebastian Bonsu-Amako
Forwards	Ismaïla Sarr, Eddie Nketiah, Yeremy Pino, Dwight McNeil, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Anan Khalaili, Ben Casey, David Angibeaud, Donte Martin, Jayden McDonald, Toby Williams
Coach	Pierre Sage

Injured Players List

Unavailable players for Lyon: Loïs Openda (injury), Mohamed Ouédraogo (injury), Moussa Niakhaté (injury).

Unavailable players for Crystal Palace: Dean Henderson (injury), Axel Disasi (suspension), Chadi Riad (injury), Takehiro Tomiyasu (injury), Jean-Philippe Mateta (injury).

Team Analysis with Stats Comparison at UEFA Europa League

Metric	Lyon	Crystal Palace
Matchday 1 result	Won 2 – 1	Won 1 – 0
Goals scored	2	4
Goals conceded	1	0
Possession (%)	44%	55%
Passing accuracy (%)	81%	90%
Attempts on target	10	6
Balls recovered	37	52
Clean sheets	0	1

Analysis

While Lyon defeated Anderlecht 2–1, Crystal Palace started by beating Lech Poznań 4–0. Crystal Palace’s four goals, 90% passes made, and 52 ball recoveries show strong attacking efficiency and a solid defense. Lyon had ten shots on target but had only 44% possession of the ball. The manager of Crystal Palace, Pierre Sage, will play against the team he used to coach. Lyon’s home advantage win is better when compared to away wins.

The Pick: Crystal Palace

Match 3: Celta Vigo vs Juventus

Date: 15 October 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Estadio de Balaídos, Vigo

UEFA Europa League Projected Squad List

Celta Vigo

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Altay Bayındır, Ionuț Radu, Ivan Villar, Marcos González
Defenders	Carl Starfelt, Marcos Alonso, Abdoulaye Faye, Sergio Carreira, Álvaro Núñez, Javi Rueda, Yoel Lago, Javi Rodríguez, Sebastián Cáceres, Javi Galán, Anxo Rodríguez, Germain Milla, Pablo Gavián
Midfielders	Ilaix Moriba, Miguel Román, Aleix Febas, Hugo Álvarez, Andrés Antañón, Hugo Burcio, Óscar Marcos
Forwards	Borja Iglesias, Ferran Jutglà, Iago Aspas, Pablo Durán, Hugo González, Williot Swedberg, Couhaib Driouech, Ángel Arcos, Jones El-Abdellaoui
Coach	Claudio Giraldez

Juventus

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Carlo Pinsoglio, Guglielmo Vicario, Neto, Riccardo Radu, Raffaele Huli
Defenders	Zeki Çelik, Bremer, Federico Gatti, Lloyd Kelly, Pierre Kalulu, Andrea Cambiaso, Jhon Lucumi, Juan Cabal, Filippo Pagnucco, Niccolò Rizzo, Francesco Verde
Midfielders	Manuel Locatelli, Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, Kerim Alajbegović, Weston McKennie, Pape Sarr, Augusto Owusu
Forwards	Francisco Conceição, Randal Kolo Muani, Kenan Yıldız, Jeremie Boga, Nick Woltemade, Nicolás González, Arman Durmiši, Destiny Elimoghale
Coach	Luciano Spalletti

Injured Players List

Unavailable players for Celta Vigo: Carl Starfelt (injury), Jones El-Abdellaoui (injury), Miguel Román (injury).

Unavailable players for Juventus: Arman Durmiši (suspension), Kamil Grabara (injury), Khéphren Thuram-Ulien (injury), Manuel Locatelli (injury), Jeff Ekhator (injury), Jérémie Boga (injury), Kenan Yıldız (injury).

Team Analysis with Stats Comparison at UEFA Europa League

Metric	Celta Vigo	Juventus
Matchday 1 result	Lost 1 – 0	Won 1 – 0
Goals scored	0	5
Goals conceded	1	0
Possession (%)	56%	49%
Passing accuracy (%)	92%	90%
Attempts on target	4	7
Balls recovered	40	32
Clean sheets	0	1

Analysis

While Celta Vigo started off with a 1–0 defeat, Juventus won their first game 5–0. Juventus had seven attempts on goal and kept a clean sheet. Celta had better possession with 56% and passing efficiency at 92%, but only four attempts on goal. Juventus will have a number of possible absentees, such as Manuel Locatelli and Kenan Yıldız. However, they will have the upper hand due to their strong start.

The Pick: Juventus

Match 4: Benfica vs Celtic

Date: 15 October 2026 (Thursday)

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

Venue: Estádio da Luz, Lisbon

UEFA Europa League Projected Squad List

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, Souffian El Karouani, Tomás Araújo, João Fonseca, Daniel Banjaqui, José Neto, Rui Silva
Midfielders	Enzo Barrenechea, Fredrik Aursnes, Georgiy Sudakov, Manu Silva, Leandro Barreiro, João Palhinha, Miguel Figueiredo, Gonçalo Moreira, Martim Ferreira, 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, Eduardo Fernandes
Coach	Marco Silva

Celtic

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Viljami Sinisalo, Sam Johnstone, Ross Doohan, Aidan Rice, Marcus Gill, Corey Shaw, Cameron Patterson
Defenders	Alistair Johnston, Jordan Lotomba, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Samuel Isiguzo, Hayden Borland, Dane Murray, Samuel Sedwell, Colby Donovan, Joshua Mulgrew, Anthony Ralston, Michael Charlton, Joseph Haney, Kieran Tierney, Hassan Dembele, Aodhan Taylor
Midfielders	Hyunjun Yang, Luke McCowan, Oliver Sørensen, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mika Baur, Sean McArdle, Thomas Hatton, Rhys Dargie, Callum McGregor, Cole Crawford, Owen Hartington, James Forrest, Francis Turley, Kayden Daly, Conor Daly, Liam Kennedy, Nathan Meechan, Rocco Di Giacomo, Mark Cingel
Forwards	Benjamin Nygren, Kasper Høgh, Camilo Durán, Sebastian Tounekti, Callum Osmand, Haissem Hassan, Calvin Keenan, Emmanuel Obidiwe, Lucas Clearie, Ezekiel Molife
Coach	Martin O’Neill

Injured Players List

Unavailable players for Benfica: Jakub Kamiński (injury), Enzo Barrenechea (injury).

Unavailable players for Celtic: Cameron Carter-Vickers (injury), Yang Hyun-Jun (injury), Callum Osmand (injury), Alistair Johnston (injury).

Team Analysis with Stats Comparison at UEFA Europa League

Metric	Benfica	Celtic
Matchday 1 result	Won 1 – 0	Lost 1 – 0
Goals scored	2	1
Goals conceded	0	3
Possession (%)	41%	61%
Passing accuracy (%)	85%	90%
Attempts on target	4	4
Balls recovered	36	43
Clean sheets	1	0

Analysis

For the record, Benfica have defeated AC Milan by a score of 2-0. Whereas Celtic have been defeated by Ferencváros with a scoreline of 3-1. The stats for Benfica show that they have achieved a pass percentage of 85% and one shut-out. On the other hand, Celtic have had 61% possession and have won back 43 balls, but have scored three goals. Benfica had home-field advantage and a strong defensive pattern when compared. Celtic’s injuries have drained their challenge level.

The Pick: Benfica

Conclusion

UEFA Europa League Matchday 2 provides many fascinating matches, where each goal counts in the competition. Salzburg, Crystal Palace, Juventus, and Benfica are among the teams chosen for these previews. Nevertheless, injuries, home ground, and tactics might play a role in the results. Fans can enjoy the matches and compare their performance on this day of European football.