UEFA Europa League Match Betting Previews, Odds & Analysis for Thursday, April 9, 2026
Day two of the Europa League quarterfinals is set to take place Thursday, April 9, with all three matches kicking off at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Aston Villa makes the short voyage from Birmingham to Italy to take on the only Serie A club remaining in the tournament, Bologna. These clubs have matched up in back-to-back seasons in European competitions. Aston Villa won both of these matchups at home and will now play in the Renato Dall’Ara for the first time.
Fellow English side, Nottingham Forest, is set to take on Liga Portugal’s top club, Porto, in the Estadio do Dragao. These two clubs met earlier this season during the Europa League group stage, with Forest taking down the Portuguese side 2-0 in Nottingham.
The fourth overall quarterfinal matchup sees Spanish side Celta Vigo travel to Germany to take on Freiburg at the Europa-Park-Stadion. These clubs have yet to face one another in a head-to-head matchup.
With the stage set, let’s dive into each of these Europa League quarterfinals matchups and give our predictions and best bets. Also, be sure to check out our daily soccer betting trends page for insights and data!
Thursday’s UEFA Europa League Schedule
- Bologna vs. Aston Villa – 3:00 p.m./Paramount+
- Porto vs. Nottingham Forest- 3:00 p.m./Paramount+
- Freiburg vs. Celta Vigo- 3:00 p.m./Paramount+
Bologna vs. Aston Villa Odds & Analysis
Bologna is set to host the current Europa League favorites, Aston Villa, for the first time in these clubs’ history. Vincenzo Italiano’s club has had an underwhelming season in Serie A, and will hope to give fans something to cheer about with the Europa League being the club’s final chance at securing hardware this season.
The Italian club miraculously finds itself in the quarterfinals after a chaotic second leg versus Roma in the Round of 16. Bologna defeated their Serie A counterparts 4-3 with a goal in the 111th minute to break the deadlock.
Bologna will need more good fortune against a strong Aston Villa side that has dominated both in Europe and domestically in the English Premier League. Villa has lost just one game in the Europa League this season and has skyrocketed to being considered the favorites after the only
other team that matched them on points in the group stage, Lyon, was eliminated in the last round.
Even so, Bologna won’t feel too intimidated despite Villa’s impressive season, especially after putting forth a strong effort when these clubs met in Birmingham at the beginning of the season. Aston Villa just squeezed by, 1-0, despite Bologna dominating in almost every statistical category.
You can expect Bologna to come out looking to blitz Villa with the support of the home crowd and confidence entering this tie. I anticipate Unai Emery’s squad will handle the pressure well and eventually take their chances when Bologna slips up defensively.
Best Bet: Under
Porto vs. Nottingham Forest Odds & Analysis
Nottingham Forest has had a forgettable season in the EPL, sitting just two spots above relegation with 15 losses in their 31 matches. Even so, Vitor Pereira’s club could find itself lifting a trophy at the end of the season with their current form in Europe.
Step one of doing so will be coming away with a result on the road against Porto. Forest has already found themselves with their back against the wall earlier in the tournament, in the Round of 16 versus Midtjylland. The Danish club managed to defeat Forest 1-0 in England, meaning Forest was going to need to win on the road against a team that had not lost at home in the Europa League if they planned on advancing to the quarterfinals – and that they did.
The Reds can enter the first leg of this tie with Porto confidently after their gut-wrenching performance that saw them through to this round. Additionally, Forest already managed to take down Porto, 2-0, back in October in the group stage.
In fact, that loss to Nottingham Forest would be the only loss Porto experienced in the Europa League this year, and just one of three total losses the club has had across all competitions this season. The Portuguese giants remain unbeaten at home, with all three of the losses mentioned coming in away games.
Porto’s impressive home record leads me to believe Nottingham will have a hard time finding a result in this match, but that’s not to say they can’t score at least once in this first leg. After all, Forest has scored at least one goal in seven straight away matches across all competitions.
Best Bet: BTS Yes
Freiburg vs. Celta Vigo Odds & Analysis
The final Europa League quarterfinals matchup consists of two clubs that have had very similar seasons. Both Celta Vigo and Freiburg have hovered around the mid-table in their domestic leagues and performed decently in the Europa League up to this point.
Celta Vigo, who had an underwhelming performance in the group stage, had the most impressive Round of 16 victory, taking down French side Lyon. Claudio Giraldez’s club headed to France knotted up at 1-1 after a disappointing first leg, only to defeat one of the hottest teams in the tournament, 2-0, on their home field.
If that performance is indicative of what we can expect from Celta going forward, the La Liga side could potentially be a dark horse to win the tournament. They will first need to get past Freiburg, which proved to be too difficult for the Belgian club, Genk, in the Round of 16.
Freiburg entered the return leg of their Round of 16 tie down 1-0, before dismantling Genk 5-1 and advancing to the quarterfinals. Their five goals scored in that match were the most they’ve had in a game this season, and that could carry over against a Celta team that has struggled defensively as of late.
In their last three games, Celta Vigo has conceded six goals combined, while Freiburg has scored nine in that same span. It is worth noting that the numbers aren’t any better when looking at the inverse. Frieburg has conceded five goals over that three-game stretch while Celta has scored eight in the same time frame.
Based on the trends we’ve seen from both clubs, there should be no shortage of excitement in the first leg of this Europa League quarterfinal tie.
Best Bet: Over
Thursday’s UEFA Europa League DFS Picks
We start our DFS lineup for the Europa League quarterfinals with goal-scoring machine Igor Jesus. Jesus has been inevitable in front of goal this season, finding the back of the net seven times in the Europa League despite starting just six matches.
I went with Villa’s Morgan Rogers for our second forward in this lineup. Rogers has not had the most productive season in terms of G/A; however, the English international has had far more success moving into the left side of the field rather than being central like he was to start the season.
Sticking with Aston Villa, I took Douglas Luiz for our first midfielder spot. Luiz has had a great season controlling the tempo of the game and oftentimes dictating what’s going on in the midfield. Whether he’s intercepting a pass or pinging a long ball himself, Luiz has been a utility knife for Emery and Villa all season.
For our final midfield spot, I took Frieburg’s Johan Manzambi. The Swiss international has put the world on notice this season, despite being just 20 years old. Manzambi has had a great run of form lately, and I can see one, possibly multiple, goal contributions in what’s expected to be a high-scoring game.
For our first defender in the lineup, I went with Ezri Konsa, Aston Villa’s center back. Konsa serves as our budget player with high upside due to the team he is playing against. The English defender has started five games in the Europa League and contributed to four clean sheets in those games. The 28-year-old is averaging over two clearances per game, as well as nearly one blocked shot, and three balls recovered.
We head back to Germany for our final defender, Christian Gunter. The veteran fullback has been solid in defense, while also managing to affect the game offensively as well. Gunter has two assists in the Europa League this season and three in the Bundesliga. His solid defense, paired with goal contribution potential, made selecting him a no-brainer.
We are going with Porto’s Diogo Costa as our goalkeeper for this lineup. Portugal’s first-choice keeper is arguably the best remaining in the Europa League. Costa will also face a Nottingham Forest squad that averages over 17 shots per game. I can see Costa repeating his most recent Europa League performance when he had six saves vs. Stuttgart in the Round of 16.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins rounds out this lineup in our utility spot. Watkins’ stats in the Europa League won’t wow you this season, only managing to record 2 G/A in five starts. However, the 30-year-old striker has been one of the top goal scorers in England this season, and his quality will shine through here as the games become more important. Watkins is also the designated penalty taker should Villa win a penalty in this match.
Photo Credit: AP/Dave Shopland
