The Europa League is back on October 23rd, 2025, with two matchups that will surely spark up European nights. The famous Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium will be the venue for the match between Fenerbahçe and VFB Stuttgart, while RB Salzburg will be facing Ferencváros at the Red Bull Arena. These games are likely to be nothing short of thrilling, with plenty of goals, drama, and tactical challenges through which football fans and punters can take advantage of the exciting opportunities.

Fenerbahçe's Europa League 2025-26 season started off poorly with a loss of 3-1 to Dinamo Zagreb. The defeat caused huge disappointment among the Yellow Canaries' supporters and put stress on coach Domenico Tedesco right from the beginning. Yet, the team quickly regained composure. In their last four matches, Fenerbahçe remained unbeaten with three wins and a draw, including a thrilling 2-1 victory over Nice. Their domestic form reinforces their European revival. After winning three league matches in a row, the most recent being a 2-1 victory against Fatih Karagumruk, the Super Lig outfit appears to be regaining their confidence and sharpness ahead of the continental clash.

Historically, Fenerbahçe have thrived on European nights at home, losing just three of their last 25 continental fixtures while winning 17. Nevertheless, the team's history with German clubs sharply draws another picture: only one victory in 13 matches. The match with Stuttgart is a good opportunity to change the course of events and prove the power of the locals.

Stuttgart arrives in Istanbul full of confidence. The German side has won five of their last six matches across competitions, suffering only a single defeat in their Europa League campaign—a 2-0 loss to Basel. Away form has been inconsistent, though, alternating wins and losses in four trips this season. On the one hand, Stuttgart has shown its defensive strength in the league by having a series of no-goal matches; on the other hand, the European competitions have revealed a different side of the team, which has a single clean sheet in the last twelve continental games. Angelo Stiller, who is at the top with the most chances created in the Europa League, would be pivotal in Stuttgart’s offensive play.

Fenerbahçe Injuries & Suspensions:

• Jhon Duran (injured)

• Ederson (goalkeeper, Tarik Cetin to start)

• Mert Hakan Yandas (out)

• Irfan Kahveci & Cenk Tosun (suspended)

• Emre Mor, Bartug Elmaz, Levent Mercan, Rodrigo Becao (unregistered)

Predicted XI: Cetin; Semedo, Oosterworlde, Soyuncu, Mercan; Alvarez, Yuksek; Doregeles, Asensio, Akturkoglu; Talisca

Stuttgart Injuries & Suspensions:

• Florian Hellstern & Stefan Drljaca (out)

• Justin Diehl & Jamie Leweling (unavailable)

• Ermedin Demirovic & Deniz Undav (injured/unfeatured)

Predicted XI: Nubel; Hendriks, Jaquez, Chabot; Mittelstadt, Andres, Stiller, Assignon; Nartey, Tomas; El Khannouss

Fenerbahce will deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation, leveraging Talisca and Asensio to exploit Stuttgart’s defensive inconsistencies. Stuttgart is likely going to set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation and will try to make a good defense and a creative attack at the same time, with Stiller being the one to make the attacks. Betting Angle: The attacking ability of the two sides as well as their poorness in defense point to over 2.5 goals being a wise bet. BTTS (Both Teams to Score) is also very probable.

Key Stats:

Predicted Outcome: A high-scoring draw seems probable. Fenerbahce 2-2 Stuttgart shows how attacking momentum, home advantage, and weak defense can affect the game.

Salzburg has had a difficult beginning, suffering defeats of 1-0 to Porto and 2-0 to Lyon, and now they are almost at the bottom of the group in Europa League standings. However, their performance in the domestic league is still promising, as they have managed to score two goals in each of the last three matches of the Austrian Bundesliga, one of which was a 2-1 victory over Rapid Vienna and the other a 2-2 draw with Rheindorf Altach.

Winning against Ferencváros would provide a crucial psychological boost, helping them climb the group standings. On the other hand, Salzburg’s performance at home has not been convincing, as in their last five games at the Red Bull Arena, they managed to win just once, which shows how important it is for them to turn their local power into victories in Europe.

Under Robbie Keane, Ferencváros have impressed, remaining unbeaten in their last nine matches across competitions. After a 1-1 draw with Viktoria Plzen and a 1-0 win over Genk, the Hungarian side arrived in Austria confident and well-prepared.

Ferencváros’ away record is strong, winning 14 of their last 18 away matches while scoring in 17 of them. A positive result at Red Bull Arena could significantly boost their playoff chances.

Salzburg Injuries:

• John Mellberg, Takumu Kawamura, Karim Konate (injured)

• Aleksa Terzic (ill)

Predicted XI: Schlager; Lainer, Gadou, Rasmussen, Kratzig; Diabate, Diambou; Yeo, Alajbegovic; Baidoo, Onisiwo

Ferencváros Injuries:

• Krisztian Lisztes (muscle)

• Alex Toth (doubtful)

Predicted XI: Dibusz; Gartenmann, Raemaekers, Szalai; Cadu, Levi, Keita, Kanichowski, Nagy; Varga, Joseph

Salzburg will look to home advantage and attacking talents, especially Petar Ratkov, who scored nine goals in domestic competitions, even if he’s yet to score in Europe. With Salzburg’s injury-hit squad, Ferencváros will likely play on the counter and look to exploit the gaps.

Goals will come from both sides, with a 2-2 draw the most likely outcome.

• Both Teams to Score: Likely

• Over 2.5 Goals: Strong option

• Corners: Salzburg under 5.5

1. Petar Ratkov (Salzburg): The main scoring threat, he is the foundation of their offensive scoring opportunities.

2. Barnabas Varga (Ferencvaros): A reliable scorer, he • Petar Ratkov (Salzburg): Major scoring danger, and they were able to create the majority of their offensive scoring chances through him.

3. Barnabas Varga (Ferencvaros): Regularly putting points on the board, and he is the one who leads his team as the attack general for the Hungarian outfit. is the leader of his team as the offensive captain of the Hungarian side.

The matches on Thursday provide various ways for bettors to make their profits: