Matchday 1 is already in the books (check our full Matchday 1 recap if you missed it), and the 2026-27 Europa League league phase is straight back into action. According to UEFA’s official fixture list, Matchday 2 kicks off on Thursday, 15 October 2026, with 18 matches split across two kick-off windows. These Europa League Matchday 2 predictions break down the card fixture by fixture, with odds and a pick for each of the marquee games.
Europa League Matchday 2: Full Fixture List
All 18 Matchday 2 fixtures take place on Thursday, 15 October 2026, split between a 17:45 CET kick-off and a 20:00 CET kick-off.
- 17:45 CET: Lyon vs Crystal Palace, Sparta Praha vs Lillestrøm, Salzburg vs Milan, AZ Alkmaar vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva, Union SG vs Real Sociedad, Torreense vs Sunderland, Lech Poznań vs Leverkusen, Celje vs Omonia
- 20:00 CET: Dinamo Zagreb vs Anderlecht, Marseille vs Olympiacos, Celta Vigo vs Juventus, Jagiellonia vs Ararat-Armenia, Benfica vs Celtic, Hoffenheim vs Beşiktaş, Ferencváros vs Viktoria Plzeň, N.E.C. Nijmegen vs Levski Sofia, Bournemouth vs Sturm Graz, Rennes vs OFI Crete
How Matchday 1 Shaped the Form Guide
A few results from the opening round already feed into Thursday’s odds. Benfica opened with a 2-0 win away at Milan to sit seventh after one round, while Celtic lost 1-3 and sit 28th with zero points. Juventus thrashed NEC 5-0 and sit sixth, in contrast to Celta Vigo, who lost 1-0 away to Omonia and prop up the table in 20th. Crystal Palace and Lyon both won their openers, and Olympiacos beat their Matchday 1 opponent to pick up three points while Marseille lost and sit 30th. That context matters for how sharp the Matchday 2 lines already look.
Benfica vs Celtic Prediction and Odds
Benfica host Celtic at the Estádio da Luz off the back of that opening win in Milan, and the hosts have been in frightening attacking form domestically — they’ve scored 21 goals in six league games this season, a sharp jump on last term’s output. Celtic, by contrast, are winless in the league phase and carry fitness doubts over Jota and Alistair Johnston into the trip.
- Benfica to win: 1.21
- Draw: 6.00
- Celtic to win: 10.50
Pick: Benfica to win and over 2.5 goals — the hosts’ scoring rate and home advantage make this one of the more straightforward reads on the card.
Lyon vs Crystal Palace Prediction and Odds
This one carries extra storyline weight given the shared Eagle Football ownership between the two clubs, but both arrive with perfect records after Matchday 1. Palace sit fourth with a +4 goal difference from their opener, while Lyon sit ninth with a narrower +1.
- Lyon to win: 2.20
- Draw: 3.75
- Crystal Palace to win: 3.10
Pick: Lyon to win — home advantage at the Groupama Stadium edges it, but Palace’s superior goal difference makes a draw no-bet market worth a look for the risk-averse.
RB Salzburg vs AC Milan Prediction and Odds
Milan travel to the Red Bull Arena as clear favourites across every book we checked, despite having dropped points to Benfica on Matchday 1. Salzburg’s home form in Europe has historically troubled bigger names, which keeps this from being a one-sided market even with Milan the clear price favourite.
- Salzburg to win: 4.00
- Draw: 3.80
- Milan to win: 1.85
Pick: Milan to win, with under 2.5 goals as the value angle given how tight the away-favourite price is relative to the draw.
Celta Vigo vs Juventus Prediction and Odds
Juventus arrive in Vigo full of confidence after that 5-0 demolition of NEC and a 2-0 win over Atalanta in Serie A the following weekend. Celta, meanwhile, are still searching for their first points of the league phase after losing to Omonia.
- Celta Vigo to win: 3.50
- Draw: 3.50
- Juventus to win: 2.05
Pick: Juventus to win — the form gap between the two sides right now is too wide to ignore, even on the road.
Marseille vs Olympiacos Prediction and Odds
Marseille host at the Orange Vélodrome needing a response after an opening-round loss that leaves them 30th in the standings, and they do so without several first-team players, including Ayoub El Kaabi, through injury. Olympiacos arrive in better shape, sitting eighth after a winning start.
- Marseille to win: 2.15
- Draw: 3.75
- Olympiacos to win: 3.30
Pick: Marseille to win — home advantage still tips it marginally, but the injury list makes this closer than the standings alone would suggest.
Bournemouth vs Sturm Graz Prediction and Odds
Bournemouth are heavily fancied at the Vitality Stadium, and the market reflects it clearly — this is the shortest price on the entire Matchday 2 card. Sturm Graz travel as considerable underdogs against a Bournemouth side that also carries respectable outright odds to go deep in the competition this season.
- Bournemouth to win: 1.20
- Draw: 7.00
- Sturm Graz to win: 15.00
Pick: Bournemouth to win, with Bournemouth also worth a look in the wider Top 8 league-stage finish market given how short their price is here.
Three More Matchday 2 Fixtures Worth Tracking
The marquee games above aren’t the only matches shaping the Matchday 2 picture. Three more fixtures carry enough form and squad-news context to be worth a look before Thursday’s kick-offs.
Union SG vs Real Sociedad
Union Saint-Gilloise host Real Sociedad at Stade Joseph Marien off the back of a 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzeň in their league phase opener, and they’ve carried that form into the domestic season with a 5-0 win over Lommel and a 3-2 away win at Charleroi. Real Sociedad arrive in worse shape: they lost their own opener 1-2 to Bournemouth and followed it with a league defeat to Atlético Madrid the following weekend. Jon Mikel Aramburu Mejías, suspended for the Bournemouth match, is available again, while the rest of the midfield will need to find a response quickly.
Pick: Union SG to win — the hosts’ momentum across both competitions outweighs Real Sociedad’s pedigree right now.
Lech Poznań vs Bayer Leverkusen
Lech Poznań sit bottom of the 36-team standings after an opening defeat, while Bayer Leverkusen head to Poznań fifth in the table on the back of a strong start. Leverkusen’s recent run reads two wins, two draws and a loss, with 7 goals scored and 6 conceded, while Lech have managed 15 goals in their last five matches across competitions but have struggled to keep games tight at the back. TonyBet’s pre-match line has Leverkusen to win at 1.91, with the under 1.5 goals market priced at 1.22 — a sign the market expects a cagier game than the raw goal totals suggest.
Pick: Bayer Leverkusen to win, with the clean sheet angle worth a second look given how short that under-goals price is.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Anderlecht
Dinamo Zagreb are unbeaten through their last five matches in all competitions (two wins, three draws), conceding well below a goal a game. Anderlecht have been more inconsistent, winning three of their last five but dropping points along the way, and they travel to Stadion Maksimir aware that Dinamo have the edge in their last four head-to-head meetings. Expect goals at both ends on recent trends from both sides.
Pick: Both teams to score — the form of both attacks makes this a safer angle than picking a winner outright on a tricky European night.
Where to Bet on Europa League Matchday 2
If you’re looking to get these picks on before Thursday’s 17:45 and 20:00 CET kick-offs, our Betway review and 1xbet review cover markets, odds boosts and sign-up terms for both books ahead of the round. For picks across every competition we cover this week, our predictions and tips hub is updated matchday by matchday.
Matchday 3 follows quickly on 22 October 2026, and we’ll have fixtures and updated odds for that round once the Matchday 2 dust settles.
Oliver is a sports betting analyst with over 8 years of experience covering football, basketball, and esports across African and international markets. He specializes in odds analysis, bankroll management, and match previews for leagues including the English Premier League, CAF Champions League, and Kenyan Premier League. Oliver is passionate about helping bettors make informed decisions through data-driven insights rather than guesswork. When he’s not breaking down match statistics, he’s testing new betting strategies and reviewing bookmaker platforms for fairness and payout speed.
