{"id":16530,"date":"2026-02-25T07:21:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=16530"},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:21:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:21:47","slug":"europa-league-preview-the-decisive-second-leg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/europa-league-preview-the-decisive-second-leg","title":{"rendered":"Europa League Preview: The Decisive Second Leg"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Europa League knockout stage is down to the wire. This Thursday, February 26, 2026, the playoff round concludes with eight teams moving on and eight going home. From clinical away performances to dead-even draws, the stakes couldn&#8217;t be higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is an in-depth look at each game and what to expect as teams fight for a place in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#the-mountain-to-climb-overturning-the-deficit\">The Mountain to Climb in the Europa League Preview: The Decisive Second Leg: Overturning the Deficit<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#vf-b-stuttgart-vs-celtic-agg-4-1\">VfB Stuttgart vs. Celtic (Agg: 4\u20131)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#nottingham-forest-vs-fenerbahce-agg-3-0\">Nottingham Forest vs. Fenerbah\u00e7e (Agg: 3\u20130)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-clean-slate-winner-takes-all\">The Clean Slate: Winner-Takes-All<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#viktoria-plzen-vs-panathinaikos-agg-2-2\">Viktoria Plze\u0148 vs. Panathinaikos (Agg: 2\u20132)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#crvena-zvezda-red-star-vs-lille-agg-1-0\">Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) vs. Lille (Agg: 1\u20130)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#protecting-the-lead\">Protecting the Lead<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#bologna-vs-sk-brann-agg-1-0\">Bologna vs. SK Brann (Agg: 1\u20130)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#celta-vigo-vs-paok-agg-2-1\">Celta Vigo vs. PAOK (Agg: 2\u20131)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#tactical-battles\">Tactical Battles<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#genk-vs-dinamo-zagreb-agg-3-1\">Genk vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Agg: 3\u20131)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#ferencvaros-vs-ludogorets-agg-1-2\">Ferencv\u00e1ros vs. Ludogorets (Agg: 1\u20132)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-mountain-to-climb-overturning-the-deficit\"><strong>The Mountain to Climb in the Europa League Preview: The Decisive Second Leg: Overturning the Deficit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"vf-b-stuttgart-vs-celtic-agg-4-1\"><strong>VfB Stuttgart vs. Celtic<\/strong> (Agg: 4\u20131)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/stuttgart-338\">VfB Stuttgart <\/a>(4-2-3-1):<\/strong> N\u00fcbel; Vagnoman, Hendriks, Chabot, Mittelst\u00e4dt; Karazor, Andr\u00e9s; Leweling, Undav, El Khanouss; Demirovi\u0107.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/celtic-754\">Celtic<\/a> (4-3-3):<\/strong> Schmeichel; Araujo, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor, Hatate; Tounekti, Maeda, \u010cvan\u010dara.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> Stuttgart put on a clinical display at Celtic Park. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/bilel-el-khanouss-109008\">Bilal El Khannouss<\/a> silenced the Glasgow crowd early, scoring twice in the first half. While Celtic briefly leveled the score through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/benjamin-nygren-68393\">Benjamin Nygren<\/a>, they couldn&#8217;t handle Stuttgart\u2019s efficiency. Late goals from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/jamie-leweling-69242\">Jamie Leweling<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/tiago-tomas-78964\">Tiago Tom\u00e1s<\/a> effectively took the wind out of Celtic&#8217;s sails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> Stuttgart returns to the MHP Arena with a massive cushion. For Celtic, this is about pride and an unlikely miracle. They have struggled with defensive lapses all season, and if they push too many players forward to find the three goals they need, Stuttgart\u2019s counter-attack will likely punish them again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.syo8v5vdqpa\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-entity-id=\"4663242\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nottingham-forest-vs-fenerbahce-agg-3-0\"><strong>Nottingham Forest vs. Fenerbah\u00e7e<\/strong> (Agg: 3\u20130)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/nottingham-forest-29\">Nottingham Forest (<\/a>4-2-3-1):<\/strong> Ortega; Aina, Milenkovi\u0107, Murillo, Neco Williams; Sangar\u00e9, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/fenerbahce-sk-946\">Fenerbah\u00e7e<\/a> (4-3-3):<\/strong> Cetin; N\u00e9lson Semedo, Efe \u00dcregen, Demir, Muldur; Guendouzi, Kant\u00e9, Y\u00fcksek; Asensio, Akt\u00fcrko\u011flu; Sidiki Cherif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> In one of the most surprising results of the round, Forest dismantled Fenerbah\u00e7e in Istanbul. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/murillo-129307\">Murillo<\/a><\/strong> opened the scoring with a brilliant long-range strike, followed by goals from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/igor-jesus-64524\"><strong>Igor Jesus<\/strong> <\/a>and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/morgan-gibbs-white-46888\">Morgan Gibbs-White<\/a><\/strong>. Fenerbah\u00e7e dominated possession (58%) but were toothless, managing only 4 shots compared to Forest&#8217;s 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/domenico-tedesco-50755\">Domenico Tedesco&#8217;s<\/a> side faces a hostile City Ground without key defender <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/oosterwolde-79698\">Jayden Oosterwolde<\/a><\/strong>, who is suspended. Forest, under newly appointed manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/vitor-pereira-55900\"><strong>V\u00edtor Pereira<\/strong>,<\/a> looked tactically perfect in the first leg. Fenerbah\u00e7e will be in desperate need of an early goal to rattle the home side, even though Forest\u2019s defensive duo of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/nikola-milenkovic-50915\">Milenkovic<\/a> and Murillo has been rock solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.wur3spbt02j\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4663238\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-clean-slate-winner-takes-all\"><strong>The Clean Slate: Winner-Takes-All<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"viktoria-plzen-vs-panathinaikos-agg-2-2\"><strong>Viktoria Plze\u0148 vs. Panathinaikos<\/strong> (Agg: 2\u20132)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/viktoria-plzen-1796\">Viktoria Plze\u0148 <\/a>(4-4-2):<\/strong> Wiegele; Memic, Dweh, Sp\u00e1\u010dil, Souare; Adu, Cerv, Hrosovsky, Visinsky; Fago, Panos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/panathinaikos-1022\">Panathinaikos<\/a> (3-4-2-1)<\/strong>: Lafont; Palmer-Brown, Touba, Ingason; Calabria, Bakasetas, Renato, Kyriakopoulos; Taborda, Djuricic; Swiderski<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> This was a high-intensity battle in Athens. Plze\u0148 took an early lead through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/denis-visinsky-83526\">Denis Visinsky<\/a>, but Panathinaikos fought back thanks to a goal from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/andrews-tetteh-137629\">Andrews Tetteh<\/a><\/strong>. The Greek side looked the more dangerous of the two, but Plze\u0148\u2019s organization helped them escape with a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> With no away goals rule, this is essentially a fresh start. Plze\u0148 is incredibly tough to beat at home, having gone unbeaten through the league phase. Panathinaikos will lean heavily on Tetteh\u2019s speed, but they\u2019ll need to be wary of Plze\u0148&#8217;s ability to capitalize on set-pieces and defensive errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.si8i4pxr2u\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4663236\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"crvena-zvezda-red-star-vs-lille-agg-1-0\"><strong>Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) vs. Lille<\/strong> (Agg: 1\u20130)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Probable Lineups:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/fk-crvena-zvezda-8957\">Crvena Zvezda<\/a> (3-4-2-1):<\/strong> Matheus Magalh\u00e3es; Rodrigo, Franklin Tebo, Erakovi\u0107; Tiknizyan, Kruni\u0107; H\u00e4ndel, Young-Woo; Duarte, Stankovi\u0107; Enem<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/lille-478\">Lille <\/a>(4-2-3-1):<\/strong> Ozer; Perraud, Mandi, Ngoy, Tiago Santos; Andr\u00e9, Bouaddi; Mukau; F\u00e9lix Correia, Haraldsson, Fern\u00e1ndez-Pardo; Giroud<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> Lille dominated much of the play at home but couldn&#8217;t find a way past a disciplined Red Star defense. A late first-half goal from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/franklin-tebo-uchenna-111066\">Franklin Tebo Uchenna<\/a><\/strong> gave the Serbian champions a vital lead. Lille tried everything in the second half, even bringing on veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/olivier-giroud-541\">Olivier Giroud<\/a>, but the breakthrough never came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> The &#8220;Marakana&#8221; in Belgrade is a fortress. Red Star is famous for protecting leads in front of their home fans. Lille has the superior technical quality, but they have struggled with finishing in recent weeks. If Lille can&#8217;t score in the first hour, the pressure of the Belgrade crowd might become too much to handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.ec77yxp9v85\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\" 4663234\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"protecting-the-lead\"><strong>Protecting the Lead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bologna-vs-sk-brann-agg-1-0\"><strong>Bologna vs. SK Brann<\/strong> (Agg: 1\u20130)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/bologna-245\">Bologna<\/a> (4-3-2-1):<\/strong> Skorupski; Zortea, Vitik, Lucum\u00ed, Mario; Freuler, Moro, Ferguson; Bernardeschi, Cambiaghi; Santiago Castro.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/brann-1982\">SK Brann<\/a> (4-3-3):<\/strong> Dyngeland; De Roeve, Knudsen, Kwame Boakye, Soltvedt; Myhre, Sorenson, Ingason; Mathisen, Holm, Thorsteinsson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/santiago-castro-99458\">Santiago Castro <\/a>scored just nine minutes in, and Bologna spent the rest of the match putting on a defensive clinic. Brann had a golden chance to equalize through a header from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/ulrik-mathisen-94777\"><strong>Ulrik Mathisen<\/strong>,<\/a> but a spectacular save from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/lukasz-skorupski-6128\">Lukasz Skorupski<\/a><\/strong> kept Bologna\u2019s clean sheet intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> Back in Italy, Bologna will look to suffocate the game. They are experts at keeping the ball and slowing down the tempo. Brann needs to be aggressive, but they risk being caught out by Bologna&#8217;s creative substitutes like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/riccardo-orsolini-46987\">Riccardo Orsolini<\/a>, who changed the game\u2019s energy in the first leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.aaby055kjhf\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-entity-id=\"4663246\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"celta-vigo-vs-paok-agg-2-1\"><strong>Celta Vigo vs. PAOK<\/strong> (Agg: 2\u20131)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/celta-vigo-158\">Celta Vigo<\/a> (4-3-3):<\/strong> Radu; Javi Rodr\u00edguez, Fern\u00e1ndez, Marcos Alonso, Carreira; Mingueza, Roman, Moriba; Swedberg, Borja Iglesias, Aspas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/paok-1029\">PAOK<\/a> (4-2-3-1):<\/strong> Tsiftsis; Kenny, Vogliacco, Mitrou, Taylor; Ozdoev, Camara; Taison, Zafeiris, Chatsidis; Giakoumakis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> Celta Vigo showed their experience in a difficult environment. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/iago-aspas-1504\">Iago Aspas<\/a> scored a trademark goal to give them the lead, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/williot-swedberg-97429\">Willot Swedberg<\/a> added a second. PAOK managed to pull one back through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/alexander-jeremejeff-69243\"><strong>Alexander Jeremejeff,<\/strong><\/a> which keeps this tie very much alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> Celta is the favorite at home, but they\u2019ve had an inconsistent season. PAOK is a team that thrives on chaos and high-pressing. If the Greek side can disrupt Celta\u2019s midfield early on, they have enough firepower to cause an upset in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.ioryoh5mh0r\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4663232\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\" data-allow-insight=\"false\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tactical-battles\"><strong>Tactical Battles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"genk-vs-dinamo-zagreb-agg-3-1\"><strong>Genk vs. Dinamo Zagreb<\/strong> (Agg: 3\u20131)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/krc-genk-1177\">Genk<\/a> (4-3-3):<\/strong> Lawal; Sadick, Smets, Kayembe El Ouahdi; Heynen, Heymans, Medina; Ito, Bibout, Karetsas<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/dinamo-zagreb-2245\">Dinamo Zagreb <\/a>(4-3-3-):<\/strong> Livakovic; Valincic, Dominguez, McKenna, Vinlof; Stojkovic, Misic, Zajc; Bakrar, Beljo, Hoxha<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/bryan-heynen-27529\">Bryan Heynen<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/zakaria-el-ouahdi-110885\"><strong>Zakaria El Ouahdi<\/strong> <\/a>opened the scoring, capitalizing on a disorganized Dinamo defense. While Dinamo managed a late goal to give themselves a lifeline, they were largely outplayed by Genk\u2019s pace and movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> Dinamo Zagreb has a history of miraculous European comebacks, but they\u2019ll be without <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/miha-zajc-41760\">Miha Zajc<\/a><\/strong> (yellow card suspension). Genk is a young team that sometimes loses focus when leading, so Dinamo\u2019s best chance is to create a frantic, high-scoring game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.48ai9swpekh\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4663244\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ferencvaros-vs-ludogorets-agg-1-2\"><strong>Ferencv\u00e1ros vs. Ludogorets<\/strong> (Agg: 1\u20132)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Probable Lineups:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/ferencvaros-6020\">Ferencv\u00e1ros<\/a> (3-5-2):<\/strong> Gr\u00f3f; Gomez, Cisse, Raemaekers; Cadu, \u00d6tv\u00f6s, Abu Fani, Kanikovski, Makreckis; Kova\u010devi\u0107, Bamidele Yusuf<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/team\/ludogorets-8528\">Ludogorets <\/a>(4-4-2):<\/strong> Bonmann; Andersson, Nachmias, Verdon, Nedyalkov, Nogueira, Duarte, Pedro, Caio; Stanic, Kwadwo Duah.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The First Leg:<\/strong> This was a physical, card-heavy affair in Bulgaria. Ludogorets took the lead through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/kwadwo-duah-44028\"><strong>Kwadwo Duah,<\/strong><\/a> only for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/bamidele-yusuf-78140\">Bamidele Yusuf<\/a> to equalize minutes later. A second-half strike gave Ludogorets the edge. Both teams finished the game with multiple yellow cards, reflecting the tension of the rivalry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Second Leg:<\/strong> Ferencv\u00e1ros will rely on a sold-out crowd in Budapest to intimidate the visitors. Ludogorets is a very experienced European side that knows how to park the bus, but Ferencv\u00e1ros\u2019 playmaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/football\/player\/mohammed-abu-fani-48567\">Mohammad Abu Fani<\/a> has the vision to unlock even the tightest defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-view-mode-filter=\"full\" data-widget-id=\"0.fljtfz1dqt\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4663240\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\" data-live-mode=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n<div id=\"modal-root\" class=\"scores365\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Which teams will be victorious and advance to the Round of 16? Thursday night will provide all the answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Europa League knockout stage is down to the wire. This Thursday, February 26, 2026, the playoff round concludes with eight teams moving on and eight going home. From clinical away performances to dead-even draws, the stakes couldn&#8217;t be higher. Here is an in-depth look at each game and what to expect as teams fight &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":16541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3380,9],"tags":[1074,973,4756,108],"class_list":["post-16530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europa-league","category-soccer","tag-europa-league","tag-playoffs","tag-second-leg","tag-soccer","article_type-discover","entity_type-competition","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16530"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16581,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16530\/revisions\/16581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}