Europa League Team of the Week XI

We’re now down to the quarter finals of the 2025/26 Europa League. Who made it into our most recent team of the week?

We witnessed victories for Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Porto in the last 16, but who were the best individual performers from midweek?

GK: Diogo Costa

Frequently touted as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Diogo Costa was playing at the peak of his powers when Porto overcame VfB Stuttgart on Thursday evening.

He came under heavy fire against Stuttgart, but was equal to everything they could throw at him. In total, Costa made six saves to preserve Porto’s clean sheet.

RB: Javi Rodríguez

Despite being a natural centre-back, Javi Rodriguez performed an excellent job at right-back for Celta Vigo against Lyon.

Rodriguez notched up an assist and kept a clean sheet away from home – having never won the Europa League, Celta are just a few wins away from history.

CB: Jan Bednarek

Former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek put all of his experience to use when Porto defeated Stuttgart at the Estádio do Dragão.

Despite the best efforts of their attacking talent, Stuttgart could not find a way to break Porto down – Bednarek won a total of eight defensive aerial duels throughout the game.

CB: Sikou Niakaté

Braga completed a famous comeback win over Robbie Keane’s Ferencváros to progress through to the quarter finals – Sikou Niakate was on hand to make sure there were no mistakes at the back.

Niakate held things together at the heart of their back three, making a number of clearances and tackles to keep Ferencvaros at bay.

LB: Gabri Martinez

Gabri Martinez also played a major role in Braga’s triumph over Ferencvaros on Wednesday evening, scoring their third goal of the game.

Playing as a wing-back, Martinez put forth some solid defensive work – however, his greatest contributions were at the other end of the pitch.

CM: Ryan Yates

Is Ryan Yates Mr. Nottingham Forest? After his performance against FC Midtjylland, not many Forest fans would disagree.

The lifelong Trees supporter put in a typically industrious shift against the Danes, scoring the second goal of the game with a fantastic left-footed effort from outside the area.

CM: Sofyan Amrabat

Former Manchester United player Sofyan Amrabat showed he still has what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the game when he helped Real Betis overcome Panathinaikos.

Amrabat isn’t known for his attacking acumen, but it was on full display on Thursday night – he scored a goal and registered 65 accurate passes – more than any other midfielder on the pitch.

RW: Antony

Antony’s time at Manchester United will forever live in infamy, but he has got his career firmly back on the rails at Real Betis.

He gave Rafa Benitez’s men nightmares down the right flank – he scored Betis’ fourth goal of the game as a fine reward for his efforts.

AM: Yuito Suzuki

There were plenty of big wins in the last 16 of Europa League, but none of them were as high-scoring as SC Freiburg’s win over Genk.

Freiburg ran out as 5-1 winners over their opponents, with Yuito Suzuki scoring a goal and notching up an assist. With a total of three key passes, he was the driving creative force behind Freiburg’s victory.

LW: Ricardo Horta

Braga legend Ricardo Horta added to his rich legacy on Thursday night, putting forth an electric performance to overturn a 2-0 deficit set by Ferencvaros.

Scoring the first and last goals of the game, Horta dragged his team through to the quarter finals – with displays such as this, he may be able to secure a spot in Portugal’s World Cup squad.

ST: Santiago Castro

Despite being just 21 years of age, Santiago Castro already looks like the finished product – he was superb in Bologna’s dramatic 4-3 win over Roma.

Scoring a goal and notching up an assist along the way, Castro proved that he is already a very multi-faceted forward.