The europa league games resume on Thursday March 19 as most round-of-16 ties remain open after a low-scoring first leg; only one fixture produced a decisive swing before the returns. The first leg produced few goals, but Braga overturned Ferencváros in a match moved up on Wednesday. The remainder of the ties are scheduled across the afternoon and evening in central European and Greenwich times.
Europa League Games: Thursday March 19 schedule
Times for the remaining fixtures were listed for Thursday March 19 as follows: Freiburg vs Genk (0-1) at 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT; Lyon vs Celta (1-1) at 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT; Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest (1-0) at 18: 45 CET, 17: 45 GMT; Aston Villa vs Lille (1-0) at 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT; Porto vs Stuttgart (2-1) at 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT; Real Betis vs Panathinaikos (0-1) at 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT; Roma vs Bologna (1-1) at 21: 00 CET, 20: 00 GMT.
Key first-leg takeaways
The first leg of the Europa League round of 16 wasn’t too exciting in terms of goals; most ties remain open for the second leg. Only Ferencváros left Braga with more than one goal of advantage for the second leg, but that advantage did not hold — Braga defeated them 4-0 in the match on Wednesday that was moved up. Genk, Porto, Midtjylland, and Panathinaikos each head into the returns holding one-goal leads, while several fixtures are level after 1-1 draws.
What’s next: second-leg outlook
With narrow margins in place and several ties level, the second legs will decide who advances to the Europa League quarter-finals. The teams carrying a one-goal advantage must defend slim leads, while opponents face the familiar challenge of overturning deficits in the return fixtures. Observers will watch whether the single-goal advantages held by Genk, Porto, Midtjylland, and Panathinaikos are enough to confirm qualification, and whether any additional fixtures produce decisive scorelines before the quarter-final field is set. The outcomes of these europa league games will determine which clubs progress and which are eliminated in this stage.
