Europa League round of 16: What to look out for in the second legs

Ferencváros take a two-goal lead to Braga, while two ties are level and the rest remain delicately poised as places in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals are settled.

We preview the second legs.

Braga vs Ferencváros (agg: 0-2)

The story: Ferencváros hold a healthy two-goal advantage as they look to become the first Hungarian quarter-finalists in major European competition for 41 years. Yet head coach Robbie Keane insisted "it's only half-time" following last week’s 2-0 win in the first leg.

"We know it's going to be really difficult away from home, but we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity," he said. Braga must come from behind if they are to win their seventh successive two-legged tie in UEFA competition.

The stat: The last five Hungarian clubs to visit Portugal in a major UEFA club competition all lost, a run of negative results stretching back to 1987.

Freiburg vs Genk (agg: 0-1)

The story: "Anything is possible in the second leg," insisted Freiburg coach Julian Schuster after his side were edged 1-0 away at Genk in the first leg. It is, indeed, all still to play for in this last-16 tie after Zakaria El Ouahdi produced a goal he called a "dream" to separate the sides.

"It gives us a good feeling," the Belgian side's captain Bryan Heynen told UEFA as his team look to put another cherry on their Europa League campaign in Germany’s Black Forest.

The stat: Genk have won all but one of their six European away fixtures this season, but Freiburg have won all four of their home games, conceding just once in the process.

Lyon vs Celta (agg: 1-1)

The story: The round of 16 tie between Lyon and Celta is finely poised heading into the second leg at OL Stadium after a 1-1 draw in Vigo, with Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca calling on his side to stay "balanced" in Thursday's decider. Lyon topped the table in the league phase with seven wins out of eight, but Celta showed resilience with ten men in the first leg, and will not be cowed.

Celta boss Claudio Giráldez insists his team are "convinced" that they can reach the quarter-finals and, with both sides creating numerous chances last week, we can expect another absorbing contest.

The stat: Celta have played in France twice before and lost both games 2-1: against Marseille in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, and against Lens at the same stage of the same competition the following season.

Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest (agg: 1-0)

The story: Nottingham Forest coach Vítor Pereira urged his players to rediscover their scoring touch ahead of the return trip to Midtjylland. Despite dominating possession and creating 22 chances in the first leg, Forest were undone by an 80th-minute header from substitute Guesung Cho, who scored with just the second of two efforts on target.

"We created three, four, five, six chances to score," he said. "It's something we need to improve because in football, if you have the chances, you must score."

The stat: Having beaten Forest 3-2 in the league phase and 1-0 in the first leg, Midtjylland are looking to complete a treble against the Reds in Denmark.

Real Betis vs Panathinaikos (agg: 0-1)

The story: A tightly-contested first leg was eventually settled by an emphatic late Vicente Taborda penalty to give Panathinaikos the slim advantage heading into the return in Seville.

Both teams will be missing key players here after Anass Zaroury and Diego Llorente were sent off in Athens, but experienced coaches Rafael Benítez and Manuel Pellegrini will no doubt both have a plan up their sleeve as they aim to mastermind progression to the quarter-finals. The managers are preparing to face each other in the dugout for a sixth time, with Benítez winning two of those encounters, Pellegrini winning two and one draw.

The stat: Panathinaikos' win in the first leg was just their second victory over Spanish opposition in their last 19 UEFA meetings (D3 L14).

Porto vs Stuttgart (agg: 2-1)

The story: Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness felt the "high-quality" first leg was lost in "seven or eight minutes" as Porto threatened to put the tie beyond the Bundesliga outfit, hitting the bar and then racing into a 2-0 lead in a devastating spell midway through the opening half.

However, Hoeness will undoubtedly have been pleased with his side's reaction, culminating in Deniz Undav capping a period of pressure to cut the deficit. Hoeness' opposite number Francesco Farioli is certainly wary of the threat posed by the German club and their tactician, telling UEFA: "We played against a top team, with top players, managed by one of the best coaches in this competition."

The stat: Stuttgart remain the top scoring side in this season's competition with 20 goals, but have yet to win a game in Portugal (D1 L1).

Roma vs Bologna (agg: 1-1)

The story: The ball looks to be in Roma’s court following a 1-1 draw in the all-Italian tie, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were given a serious contest in Bologna and will expect another at the Stadio Olimpico.

Vincenzo Italiano's side were left to rue missed chances after Federico Bernardeschi put them in front, but midfielder Tommaso Pobega took courage from their performance. “We will go to Rome to play our game,” he said. “We had our chances [in the first leg], but we'll have to make better use of the ones we get [in Rome]."

The stat: Roma are featuring in their fourth all-Italian UEFA club competition tie; they lost to Inter in the two-legged 1991 UEFA Cup final, but eliminated Fiorentina in the 2014/15 Europa League round of 16, and Milan in the 2023/24 quarter-finals.

Aston Villa vs Lille (agg: 1-0)

The story: "We got the goal and got the win, but we're not going to get too comfortable," Ezri Konsa told UEFA after Aston Villa’s 1-0 success in Lille, with Unai Emery’s side now focused on "finishing the job" in front of their own fans.

Lille defender Thomas Meunier was left a little deflated after his side misfired in front of their home fans, but knows they have plenty still to play for. "Nothing is decided," he told UEFA. "I didn't feel Aston Villa were that much better than us, in their intensity, in their rhythm."

The stat: Villa have not lost a European home game in two seasons (W9 D1) since losing 4-2 to Olympiacos in the 2023/24 Conference League semi-finals.

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