Stuttgart achieved an impressive victory in Scotland against Celtic with a 4-1 win, strengthening their chances of qualifying for the Europa League round of 16, a stage where they could face FC Porto (or Sp. Braga). On the likely path for the Dragons is also the winner of the tie between Hungary’s Ferencváros and Bulgaria’s Ludogorets, with the Bulgarian team currently holding a narrow 2-1 advantage.
FC Porto and Sporting de Braga finished the league phase in fifth and sixth place, respectively, thus securing direct entry into the round of 16. Due to these positions, they can only face the winners of the play-offs between Stuttgart and Celtic and between Ferencváros and Ludogorets.
Portuguese player Tiago Tomás sealed the rout in Glasgow at 90+3 minutes, after goals from Bilal El Khannouss (15′ and 28′) and Leweling (57′). At 21′, Benjamin Nygren scored for Celtic, a team featuring the Portuguese Paulo Bernardo. Dinis Almeida was part of the Ludogorets lineup, who secured a narrow win in the match in Bulgaria: Kwadwo Duah scored at 23′ and Son at 67′, while Dele scored for Ferencváros at 27′.