A new Europa League season is underway, and two rounds have already been played in the now familiar format. The competition started with thirty six teams, including the lone Serbian representative, Crvena Zvezda. The first eight teams will qualify directly for the round of 16, to be joined by eight more sides who emerge from the playoff ties.
Clubs finishing between ninth and sixteenth after eight rounds will be seeded in the playoff, while those placed seventeenth to twenty fourth will be unseeded in the additional matches. All other teams will see their campaigns end after the opening phase, a clear cut that puts value on each point and every goal.
The Europa League final for the 2025/2026 season will be played on 20 May 2026 in Istanbul, at Besiktas’s stadium. Every club will dream of getting there, and of winning it, because the champion, as last year, earns a place in next season’s Champions League. For readers who track form swings and live markets on platforms like Merkur XTip, the road already looks compelling.
Before the next fixtures arrive, it is useful to recall how the revised league phase works in practice. Each club plays eight games, four at home and four away, against opponents drawn from seeded pots, and all thirty six sides occupy one consolidated table instead of classic groups. The top eight advance straight to the last sixteen. Teams ranked nine through twenty four drop into two leg playoffs to fill the remaining slots. The format forces urgency from week one and punishes slow starts.
Matchday One
Crvena Zvezda entered this Europa League season aiming to reach the second phase, at least via the playoff. That meant starting well rather than waiting on late scrambles for points. In round one they hosted Celtic and drew 1 1. The Scots led through Iheanacho, while Arnautovic equalized for Zvezda.
Among regional neighbors, Dinamo Zagreb began with a home blockbuster against Fenerbahce and won it. The Zagreb side prevailed 3 1. Rangers struggles continued into the Europa League’s league phase; they lost at Ibrox to Genk by the narrowest margin. Roma faced a tricky trip to Nice in France but ultimately managed to tilt the match their way, winning 2 1.
One of the round’s showcase fixtures, and a treat for bettors, was Real Betis versus Nottingham Forest. In an entertaining contest, the sides split the points with four goals, 2 2. Braga defeated Feyenoord 1 0 in Portugal, while Aston Villa edged Bologna by the same scoreline in another mini derby in Birmingham.
Panathinaikos were ruthless away to Young Boys in Switzerland, celebrating a 4 1 victory. Porto also started with an away win, beating Red Bull Salzburg 1 0 in Austria.
Germany’s Freiburg defeated Basel 2 1, Lille beat Norway’s Brann by the same score, and Malmo lost at home 2 1 to Bulgaria’s Ludogorets.
Matchday Two
In the second round, Roma hosted Lille. Many in Rome assumed the second French opponent in as many matchdays would be easier, and home advantage seemed to support that view, a common perception among those dipping into live betting as well. It turned out otherwise, as Lille left Italy with all three points, defeating Roma 1 0.
Another Italian side, Bologna, drew 1 1 at home against Freiburg. Celtic fell 2 0 at home to Portuguese side Braga, and Scotland’s rough run continued when Rangers lost 2 1 away to Sturm.
Fenerbahce welcomed Nice, keen to make amends for the opening round defeat in Croatia. They succeeded, beating the French visitors 2 1. Betis were assured away to Ludogorets, winning 2 0, and in one of the marquee meetings Aston Villa won away to Feyenoord.
As for Crvena Zvezda, they produced a more than solid showing against Porto and practically had a point in the pocket, only for Mora to score in the 89th minute for Porto and shatter hopes of escaping Portugal unbeaten.
The Table
Seven teams boast a maximum return from the first two rounds, meaning two wins from two. Dinamo Zagreb sit officially top thanks to the best goal difference through the opening pair of fixtures. Level on points behind them are Midtjylland, Aston Villa, Braga, then the French duo Lyon and Lille, with Porto closing out the list of teams on six points.
At the foot of the table, six clubs are still on zero after two rounds, and their upcoming fixtures should be enticing for live betting observers. They are Nice, perhaps the biggest disappointment Rangers, the Dutch pair Utrecht and Feyenoord, Red Bull Salzburg, and Malmo.
Serbia’s representative, Crvena Zvezda, are in the group of six teams who have collected exactly one point from the first two Europa League rounds. There is time to climb with steadier finishing and control.
