Thursday evening sees 16 games take place across the Europa League and Conference League Knockout Round Play-offs first legs – eight in each competition.
Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest and Zrinjski Mostar vs Crystal Palace are among the pick of the ties on a busy night of European action.
Europa League
Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest (Thursday, 5.45pm)
In-form Fenerbahce host a Nottingham Forest side hoping to experience the ‘new manager bounce’ in Vitor Pereira’s first game in charge.
The Turkish side enter this clash having won four straight games – scoring three goals in each of their last three outings – and have lost just once in 11 since Christmas – though that defeat did come at home to English opposition, Aston Villa, in the league phase of this competition.
Forest, looking to stay alive in their first European campaign for 30 years, haven’t travelled particularly well this season – losing 10 of their 20 away games in all competitions, including penalty shootouts – but kept things relatively tight on the road in the Europa League league phase, notching four goals and conceding four.
Player to watch: Talisca (Fenerbahce)
The Brazilian has scored four goals in his last three games and hit a hat-trick in December’s 4-0 Europa League thrashing of Brann.
Score prediction: Fenerbahce 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Best bet: Correct score Fenerbahce 2-0 Nottingham Forest and Talisca to score anytime (24/1)
Follow the Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest live score
PAOK vs Celta Vigo (Thursday, 5.45pm)
Still competing on three fronts in 2025/26, PAOK will be looking to continue a strong run of one loss in 13 games when they welcome out-of-sorts Celta Vigo to Thessaloniki.
PAOK and Celta were separated by a single point in the league phase and were among the highest-scoring teams in that stage of the competition – racking up 15 and 17 goals respectively in eight matches. However, the visitors are winless in six.
The hosts have won each of their last 10 home outings by at least two goals – though their opponents hadn’t lost on the road by more than a single goal until conceding a stoppage-time penalty to Real Sociedad last month.
Player to watch: Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo)
The Spain international has notched three of Celta’s last five goals, bagging a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2-2 LaLiga draw at Espanyol last time out.
Score prediction: PAOK 2-1 Celta Vigo
Best bet: PAOK to win and Borja Iglesias to score anytime (13/1)
Follow the PAOK vs Celta Vigo live score
Celtic vs Stuttgart (Thursday, 8pm)
Having narrowly made it into the Europa League knockout round play-offs, Celtic are aiming for a sixth straight victory as they entertain a Stuttgart side who’ve won five of their last six games.
Celtic won three of their league phase fixtures compared to Stuttgart’s five, but the Glaswegians have found the net twice or more in nine out of 10 matches since Martin O’Neill’s second return as manager this season.
And with Stuttgart averaging 2.5 goals a game in their last 10, it could be a high-scoring encounter at Celtic Park.
Player to watch: Benjamin Nygren (Celtic)
Celtic’s Swedish attacking midfielder has been in great nick recently, finding the net six times in 11 appearances this calendar year.
Score prediction: Celtic 2-2 Stuttgart
Best bet: Both teams to score in both halves and Benjamin Nygren to score anytime (22/1)
Follow the Celtic vs Stuttgart live score
Lille vs Crvena Zvezda (Thursday, 8pm)
Lille will be out to avenge their 1-0 Europa League league phase loss to Crvena Zvezda when they welcome the reigning, eight-time back-to-back Serbian champions to northern France.
That defeat did come away, but Lille’s recent home form has been less than stellar: they’ve lost three and drawn one of their last five at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy – though their one win amid that streak was in this competition, 1-0 against Freiburg.
But that was Lille’s sole victory anywhere since the turn of the year and the visitors are on a roll right now, making this trip having won three on the spin, racking up 11 goals in the process.
Player to watch: Vasilije Kostov (Crvena Zvezda)
Crvena Zvezda’s 17-year-old wonderkid is making quite an impact, bagging a brace in Saturday’s domestic league win over Zeleznicar Pancevo to make it three goals in two games.
Score prediction: Lille 1-1 Crvena Zvezda
Best bet: Under 2.5 goals and Vasilije Kostov to score anytime (19/1)
Follow the Lille vs Crvena Zvezda live score
Conference League
Zrinjski Mostar vs Crystal Palace (Thursday, 5.45pm)
Champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar entertain European debutants Crystal Palace, with both sides struggling for wins of late.
The hosts have been victorious in only two of their last seven outings, either side of their domestic winter break, while Palace have triumphed just once in their last 14 games.
Oliver Glasner’s Eagles can take encouragement from the fact that only two teams ended the league phase with a better record than their six points from nine, but Zrinjski did go unbeaten at home in their three matches.
Player to watch: Jorgen Strand Larsen (Crystal Palace)
Palace’s big Norwegian striker bagged his first goals for the club with a brace in last Wednesday’s 3-2 Premier League loss to Burnley and could make his first European appearance in over seven years.
Score prediction: Zrinsjki Mostar 1-1 Crystal Palace
Best bet: Correct score Zrinjski Mostar 1-1 Crystal Palace and Jorgen Strand Larsen to score anytime (28/1)
Follow the Zrinjski Mostar vs Crystal Palace live score
Jagiellonia Bialystok vs Fiorentina (Thursday, 8pm)
Two teams experiencing contrasting domestic fortunes go head-to-head as Jagiellonia Bialystok, currently leading a thrilling Polish title race, host Serie A strugglers and two-time Conference League runners-up Fiorentina.
Both sides finished on nine points in the Conference League league phase, with Jagiellonia recording their two home wins by a 1-0 scoreline against Hamrun Spartans and KuPS.
Fiorentina have managed just four away victories in 2025/26, but two of those have come in the last month – both 2-1 over opponents in the top half of Serie A, most recently at Como on Saturday.
Player to watch: Jesus Imaz (Jagiellonia Bialystok)
Jagiellonia’s veteran Spanish midfielder has scored in his side's most recent two home matches and should be fresh after being suspended for their goalless league draw at Cracovia on Saturday.
Score prediction: Jagiellonia Bialystok 1-2 Fiorentina
Best bet: Fiorentina to win and Jesus Imaz to score anytime (15/1)
