The semi-finalists for both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League will be decided tonight, Thursday, as the quarter-final second legs take place. In the Europa League, Freiburg holds a significant three-goal advantage over Celta Vigo, and Aston Villa remains the favorite against Bologna with a two-goal lead. However, Betis and Braga are locked at 1-1, as are Nottingham Forest and Porto.
In the Conference League, only monumental comebacks will prevent Rayo Vallecano, Shakhtar Donetsk, Mainz, and Crystal Palace from advancing to the semi-finals, given the first-leg results from last week. Will we witness any major upsets today?
Europa League Matches on Thursday, April 16th
- Celta Vigo vs. Freiburg: 18:45 CEST / 17:45 BST (0-3 on aggregate)
- Real Betis vs. Braga: 21:00 CEST / 20:00 BST (1-1 on aggregate)
- Nottingham Forest vs. Porto: 21:00 CEST / 20:00 BST (1-1 on aggregate)
- Aston Villa vs. Bologna: 21:00 CEST / 20:00 BST (3-1 on aggregate)
Conference League Matches on Thursday, April 16th
- AZ Alkmaar vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: 18:45 CEST / 17:45 BST (0-3 on aggregate)
- AEK Athens vs. Rayo Vallecano: 21:00 CEST / 20:00 BST (0-3 on aggregate)
- Strasbourg vs. Mainz: 21:00 CEST / 20:00 BST (0-2 on aggregate)
- Fiorentina vs. Crystal Palace: 21:00 CEST / 20:00 BST (0-3 on aggregate)
In the Europa League, the winner of the Betis/Braga tie will face the winner of the Freiburg/Celta Vigo match. Meanwhile, the victor of the Porto/Forest encounter will go up against the winner of Aston Villa/Bologna.
For the Conference League, the winner of Shakhtar/Alkmaar will compete against the winner of Fiorentina/Crystal Palace. The victor of the Rayo Vallecano/AEK Athens game will then face either Mainz or Strasbourg.
Both competitions’ semi-finals are scheduled for April 30th and May 7th, falling in the same weeks as the Champions League semi-finals. The Europa League final will be held on May 20th, followed by the Conference League final on May 27th.