Europa League Team of the Playoffs XI

We’re now into the knockout rounds of the Europa League – with the playoffs behind us, who made it into our team of the playoffs XI?

In this piece, we’ll only be looking at players’ performances in the second leg of the playoffs – game that took place in the first leg won’t taken into consideration.

GK: Viljami Sinisalo

Celtic might have fallen by the wayside, but they put forth a fantastic effort in the away leg at Stuttgart to retain a modicum of pride.

Viljami Sinisalo had plenty of work to do, as Stuttgart rattled off eight shots on target against the Celts, but Sinisalo was equal to everything they could throw at him.

RB: Javi Rueda

Celta Vigo’s tie against PAOK was on a knife edge coming into the second leg – Javi Rueda did everything in his power to make sure the Spaniards progressed.

He made a nuisance of himself down the right flank and also made sure to perform his defensive duties – it was a complete display from the 23-year-old.

CB: Chancel Mbemba

Lille mounted a phenomenal fightback away from home to secure their spot in the knockout rounds – Chancel Mbemba was at the heart of their efforts.

The former Newcastle United man put forth a fantastic defensive display, clearing anything that came his way to maintain a clean sheet.

CB: Toon Raemaekers

Likewise, Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros also completed an impressive comeback to keep their Europa League dreams alive.

Toon Raemaekers made sure that they were able to shut Ludogorets Razgrad out, winning by a score of 2-0 to progress.

LB: Joao Mario

Joao Mario had a lot of defensive work to do in Bologna’s home leg against Brann, given their 1-0 advantage – nevertheless, he was up to the task.

Not only did Mario shut the Norweigians out, he also scored the only goal of the game to give Bologna a richly-deserved win.

CM: Luka Stojkovic

The decision to include Luka Stojkovic in this XI was heavily debated. While he scored a brace from the heart of midfield, he was also sent off in extra time – furthermore, Dinamo Zagreb would ultimately crash out on aggregate.

Despite this, Zagreb were unfortunate to not progress – were it not for a late goal in extra time, the last 16 might have looked very different.

CM: Gavriel Kanichowsky

Gavriel Kanichowsky was the star of the show during Ferencvaros’ comeback win over Ludogorets Razgrad, putting in an excellent midfield display.

Kanichowsky scored the first goal the game, then displayed some excellent midfield generalship to see the game out.

RW: Callum Hudson-Odoi

Nottingham Forest did not put their best foot forward in their second leg against Fenerbahce, but Callum Husdon-Odoi was on hand to spare their blushes.

Just as the Turkish giants looked to level the scored, Hudson-Odoi found the back of the net to put the Trees back in the driver’s seat.

AM: Luke McCowan

Celtic won a competitive game of football in Germany for the first time in their history on Thursday night – they have Luke McCowan to thank for making history.

While Celtic would ultimately lose the tie by an aggregate score of 4-2, McCowan’s early goal gave the Hoops a glimmer of hope.

LW: Williot Swedberg

Williot Swedberg also made it into our team of the playoffs for the first leg – he has been an excellent player for Celta Vigo this season.

Celta were already ahead on aggregate, but Swedberg was on hand to snuff out any attempt at a comeback from PAOK.

ST: Kerem Akturkoglu

Kerem Akturkoglu was a man possessed on Thursday night. While Fenerbahce crashed out of the competition, he put forth a spirited effort to try and keep their hopes alive.

Scoring a brace, he reduced the aggregate deficit from three goals to just one – however, Forest were still able to progress.