Europa League Matchday 2: What to look out for

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Panathinaikos will be looking to stay top, Sturm Graz host Rangers and former European champions Feyenoord and Aston Villa go head to head on UEFA Europa League Matchday 2.

Aston Villa's John McGinn, Panathinaikos' Anass Zaroury and Porto's Borja Sainz Getty Images

Matchday 2 in the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League is upon us, with 18 enticing encounters set for Thursday as the league phase begins to take shape.

UEFA.com runs through the key storylines and statistics.

Meet the teams

Highlights: Young Boys 1-4 Panathinaikos

The story: Panathinaikos are the early pacesetters in the league phase following a highly impressive 4-1 away victory at Young Boys, with Moroccan forward Anass Zaroury getting off to a flyer in the race to finish top scorer by netting a hat-trick. Go Ahead Eagles' first appearance in the Europa League proper ended in disappointment as they succumbed 1-0 to FCSB, but after a total of 18 attempts in that game, they'll be hoping a more clinical finishing touch can earn them a historic victory in Greece.

The stat: Zaroury scored the first hat-trick of this season's competition; in 2024/25, it took until the round of 16 for the one and only treble of the tournament to be recorded by Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes.

Sturm Graz vs Rangers

The story: These two teams have met just twice before, with Sturm winning their home game 2-0 in the 2000/01 Champions League after Rangers had triumphed 5-0 at Ibrox. Both sides suffered Matchday 1 losses, making this encounter in Austria all the more crucial as they try to kick-start their campaigns.

The stat: Rangers have won just one of their last six away games in Europe, after previously going seven unbeaten on their travels.

Feyenoord vs Aston Villa

Highlights: Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna

The story: Two former European Cup winners face off in Rotterdam, and the high-profile coaches on the touchline will both be familiar to their opponents. Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie scored eight goals against Villa during his time as a player for Arsenal and Manchester United, while Unai Emery has twice faced the Dutch outfit as a coach, winning one and losing one in the group stage of the 2014/15 Europa League with Sevilla.

The stat: Despite their vast European pedigrees, this will be the first competitive meeting between these sides.

Other highlights

Nottingham Forest will play their first home game in Europe in nearly 30 years as they host Midtjylland at the City Ground.
Semi-finalists in 2016/17, Celta also make a home return to the competition as they tackle PAOK, with both sides seeking their first wins of the campaign.
Two-time winners Porto take on 1978/79 runners-up Crvena Zvezda.

Europa League Matchday 2: What to look out for

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Early kick-offs (18:45 CET)

Late kick-offs (21:00 CET)

Standout fixtures

Other highlights