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Laman Ismayilova

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The second-leg matches of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal stage will be played on April 16, AzerNEWS reports.

The fixtures will determine the semifinalists. One match will kick off at 20:45 Baku time, while the other three will start at 23:00.

In the first match of the night, Spain's Celta will host Germany's Freiburg. The Bundesliga side, having secured a 3–0 victory in the first leg at home, is now very close to securing a place in the next round.

A similar situation applies to England's Aston Villa, who defeated Bologna 3–1 in the first leg in Italy and are now just one step away from the semifinals.

In the other fixtures, Portuguese side Braga will visit Spain's Real Betis, while Porto will travel to England to face Nottingham Forest. The first leg of both ties ended in a 1–1 draw.

The 2025–26 season of the UEFA Europa League marks the 55th edition of Europe's secondary club tournament organized by UEFA.

The competition will culminate in the final on May 20 at Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul.

In total, 77 teams from 33 to 40 UEFA member associations are taking part in this season's competition.

This season is the second under UEFA's new format, which replaces the traditional 32-team group stage with a 36-team league phase. The change aims to increase competitiveness and variety in matchups, placing all teams in a single standings table.

The reigning champions, Tottenham Hotspur, will not defend their title.

Due to tournament rules, the Europa League winner automatically qualifies for the UEFA Champions League league phase, and the updated format no longer allows teams to drop down from the Champions League into the Europa League after the league phase begins.