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Fenerbahce v Anderlecht, 5.45pm
Fenerbahce are in good form in the Turkish league, their 2-0 win at Alanyaspor on Sunday extending their unbeaten run to 12 games. José Mourinho’s side are just three points behind Galatasaray, who remain unbeaten in the league. The downside for Fener is that they have only won twice in Europe this season and just once at home. They scraped into the playoffs, securing the 24th and final spot by the slimmest of margins, pipping Braga and Elfsborg on goal difference.
Caglar Soyuncu pulled up in the victory over Alanyaspor and is one of five players who will miss out when Anderlecht visit Istanbul for the first leg. The midfielder Sofyan Amrabat replaced Soyuncu at the weekend and may start in a backline alongside Milan Skriniar, a January arrival, and Alexander Djiku.Anderlecht narrowly missed out on an automatic place in the last 16. David Hubert’s side were flying high in the group stage but lost their last two games and finished outside of the top eight on goal difference. Their domestic form has been mixed this season: they have dropped to fourth in the table but have booked a place in the Belgian Cup final, where they will play Club Brugge. Prediction: Fenerbahce to progress.
Ferencvaros v Viktoria Plzen, 5.45pm
Robbie Keane took over at Ferencvaros last month and his start to life in Hungary has been … mixed. The 44-year-old has overseen just one win in his five games in charge, though that did come in the Europa League in a seven-goal thriller against AZ Alkmaar.
Keane is likely to be without his regular goalkeeper Denes Dibusz, so Adam Varga looks set to continue to deputise between the sticks. Júlio Romão, the Brazilian midfielder who joined from Qarabag earlier this month, may start in the middle of the park.
Viktoria Plzen finished 16th in the group stage, just above Ferencvaros on goal difference. They will be without their forward Christophe Kabongo. The former Watford man Matej Vydra is expected to partner Prince Adu in attack as the pair look to add to their three goals apiece in the competition. Prediction: Viktoria Plzen to progress.
Union SG v Ajax, 5.45pm
Ajax are the household names in this tie, but Union SG have not lost a home game since November, winning eight of their 10 matches at the Stade Joseph Marien in that run. The Belgian side have a couple of key players ruled out for the first leg, however. Ross Sykes and Ousseynou Niang are banned, with Koki Machida expected to deputise for the latter at left wing-back.
Ajax are in great form. They have won their last six games in a row to go top of the Eredivisie. They will be missing the young forward Mika Godts but Jordan Henderson, who came close to a move to Monaco in the winter window, should start in midfield. Prediction: Ajax to progress.
Midtjylland v Real Sociedad, 5.45pm
The Danish winter break means the first leg will be Midtjylland’s fourth competitive game since the start of December. They did not finish the year well, having won three of their last 10 games in all competitions spanning back to October. Their goalkeeper Elias Olafsson is out, so Jonas Lössl is expected to continue between the sticks. Real Sociedad should be wary of the exciting Chilean winger Darío Osorio, who has been linked with big clubs across Europe.
Real Sociedad booked their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals last week, beating Osasuna to set up a meeting with Real Madrid, and they will expect to be in the last 16 of the Europa League too. They need to improve their away form though; they did not win any of their away matches in the group, relying on home wins against Ajax, Dynamo Kyiv and PAOK to get them this far. La Real have a number of concerns for their trip to Denmark, with the centre-back Igor Zubeldia a doubt and the right-back Hamari Traoré a long-term absentee. Prediction: Real Sociedad to progress.
Porto v Roma, 8pm
This is probably the standout tie of the round, but neither team has been at their best this season. Porto will hope to improve on a run of one win in their last eight games when they welcome Roma to the Estádio do Dragão. The Portuguese side are now under the management of the 39-year-old Argentinian Martín Anselmi, who has sought to implement a three-man backline since taking over from Vítor Bruno last month.
Porto are out of contention in the Primeira Liga and out of the Taça de Portugal, so are looking to the Europa League to save their season. Marko Grujic, Iván Marcano and Martim Fernandes will miss the Roma game with injury, but the main blow to their chances is Nico González’s €60m move to Manchester City on deadline day.
Roma have no injury or suspension worries but they have been poor on the road this season. Their narrow 1-0 victory at Venezia at the weekend was justtheir second away win in all competitions in 2024-25. It has been a tough year for the club, who have employed four managers in the last 14 months. Claudio Ranieri came out of retirement to lead his boyhood club in November and would dearly love to finish his career with some European silverware. Prediction: Roma to progress.
Twente v Bodø/Glimt, 8pm
Twente pulled it out of the bag in the group stage, winning their last two games to secure a place in the knockout round. Those victories over Malmö and Besiktas will give them confidence as they prepare to welcome Bodø/Glimt to the Netherlands.
The Dutch side have won their last four home games, which bodes well. So too does their absentee list, with Younes Taha the only player missing. The main selection headache comes on the frontline, where Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Sam Lammers and Daan Rots are battling for two spots.
Like Midtjylland, Bodø/Glimt are gearing up for their fourth competitive game since the Eliteserien season finished in December. The Norwegian team will be without Philip Zinckernagel, who moved to the MLS side Chicago Fire last month, with Isak Määttä set to feature from the right. Prediction: Bodø/Glimt to progress.
AZ Alkmaar v Galatasaray, 8pm
Alkmaar and Galatasaray have already met in the Europa League this season; they played out a 1-1 draw at the AFAS Stadion in November. Given their recent form, Alkmaar will be aiming to secure the win this time around. Since the start of December they have beennigh-on imperious on home turf, winning all but one of their nine home matches. What the Dutch side wouldn’t give for another victory.
That said, they face the Turkish giants without their right-back Seiya Maikuma owing to injury, with Denso Kasius potentially filling in. The influential winger Ruben van Bommel is a doubt having not featured since a 2-2 draw with PSV last month.
Galatasaray travel to Alkmaar on the back of a bizarre match at the weekend in the Turkish league. Their home game against Adana Demirspor was abandoned in the first half after their opponents walked off the pitch in protest at the referee’s decision to award a penalty to Gala. Álvaro Morata converted the penalty and, when the Adana Demirspor players refused to return to the field, the referee called the game off.
Gala have a few concerns of their own as they set off to the Netherlands. Davinson Sánchez, Lucas Torreira and Victor Osimhen are all suspended, with Elias Jelert, Berkan Kutlu and Morata expected to step in respectively. Mauro Icardi, meanwhile, is a long-term absentee for the Turkish side, who are looking to build on a run of three wins from their last four. Prediction: Galatasaray to progress.
PAOK v Steaua Bucharest, 8pm
After back-to-back defeats, PAOK got back to winning ways with a resounding 5-0 victory at OFI Crete at the weekend to provide the perfect morale boost before their tie against Steaua Bucharest. PAOK, who are fourth in the Greek Super League, will be without Jiri Pavlenka, with Andrija Zivkovic and Kiril Despodov also doubts. PAOK have only won two of their five home matches this year, which doesn’t bode well.
Then again, Steaua Bucharest haven’t been in particularly great form themselves. Their victory over Sepsi OSK at the weekend ended a three-game winless streak. The Romanian league is remarkably competitive this season: the top five clubs in the table are separated by a single point.
Darius Olaru and Mihai Lixandru will both miss Thursday’s game in Greece with injury. Florin Tanase will likely start in the No 10 role to cover the former’s absence, while Malcom Edjouma is set to partner Adrian Sut in midfield with Lixandru sidelined. Prediction: Steaua Bucharest to progress.
