UEFA Europa League: Gameday Five Player Props

Published on 26/11/2025 by Bradley Gibbs | Modified on 27/11/2025 at 05:20 by Tyler Doty

Which players have caught the eye during the early part of the campaign?

The League Phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League has reached its midway point, with all teams having competed in four of their eight fixtures.

Over the first four game days, we’ve seen some impressive team performances, especially from Danish outfit Midtjylland, who, perhaps a little surprisingly, top the standings as the only team to win four out of four. The Bundesliga’s Freiburg have also caught the eye, with the Germans sitting second, while we’ve also seen notable efforts from the likes of Hungary’s Ferencvaros, Spain’s Celta Vigo, Portugal’s Braga and Czechia’s Viktoria Plzen, all of whom currently sit inside the all-important top eight.

Additionally, we've seen some superb individual efforts; there’s no doubt about that. For the league-phase leaders, Franculino has been fantastic up top. The Guinea-Bissau international has scored three goals in four matches, which is also a feat that has been achieved by Basel veteran Xherdan Shaqiri, who has been rolling back the years for his boyhood club.

PAOK’s Anrija Zivkovic has arguably been the most effective offensive player in the competition, producing four goals and assists across the first four game days, while Braga’s Ricardo Horta has also covered himself in creative glory, registering three assists, averaging a very chunky 0.89 assists per 90 minutes.

Europa League Matchday 5 Stats to Consider:

We’ll get into my idea of a few viable player props below, but let’s first dish out a few interesting stats, some of which may be useful to those looking to decide on their own player props ahead of Thursday’s games.

Interesting UEL player stats:

Dele (Ferencvaros) averages 1.85 goals and assists per 90 minutes in the Europa this season.
This season, no Europa League player has totalled more expected goals than Oh Hyeon-gyu (Genk).
No Europa League player has taken more shots than Tete (Panathinaikos) this season.
Lenny Joseph (Ferencvaros) averages 2.55 shots on target per 90 minutes in the Europa League this season.
Right now, Derry Scherhant Freiburg is the Europa League’s best player in terms of shots on target per 90 minutes, averaging 3.78.
Bryan Heynen (Genk) has made more final-third passes than any other Europa League player this season.
Fran Navarro averages 2.09 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes in the Europa League this season.
James Tavernier (Rangers) has made more crosses than any other Europa League player this season.
Denis Olaru (FCSB) has made more fouls than any other Europa League player this season.
This season, Sebastian Tounetki (Celtic) is the Europa League’s best player in terms of carries into the penalty area and successful take-ons.

Now, it’s time to get down to business and dive into what I consider to be a few player props that, all things considered, offer value for money at the odds available (at the time of writing).

Rangers vs Braga: Rodrigo Zalazar to Score (+333)

As Rangers and Braga clash in the Scottish capital of Glasgow, visiting forward Rodrigo Zalazar is worth betting on to find the net.

As noted in our Rangers vs Braga prediction, we're expecting some goals in this matchup. Fran Navarro has stolen the headlines somewhat for Braga in the UEL this season, and as the stats above show, he’s hugely threatening, but so is Rodrigo Zalazar, so much so that he looks generously priced to notch at +333.

Zalazar is Braga’s top scorer in all competitions this season, scoring twice in the Europa League, averaging a chunky 0.76 goals per 90 minutes. He also averages a very decent 0.47 expected goals per 90. Throw into the mix that he’s easily Braga’s best player in terms of shots per 90 minutes and the odds on offer just cannot be refused.

Panathinaikos vs Sturm Graz: Karol Swiderski to Score (+200)

Next up, as Panathinaikos and Sturm Graz clash in Athens, I’m siding with Karol Swiderski to improve his already impressive scoring record. Swiderski has notched three times in the Europa League this season, scoring in three out of four games. Our Panathinaikos vs Sturm Graz prediction sees several goals in this game, especially from the home side.

Swiderski would’ve had four in four but for a missed penalty against Malmo last time out, though I’m willing to forgive the Polish forward for that. After all, he’s shown a clear ability to get into serious scoring positions on the continent this season, averaging 1.33 shots on target per 90 minutes, as well as a massive 0.82 xG. He’s also now up against a weak Sturm Graz defense.

Go Ahead Eagles vs Stuttgart: Jamie Lewelling to Score (+260)

Given that our Go Ahead Eagles vs Stuttgart prediction sees both teams scoring, we're going to look to Stuttgart’s dangerous Jamie Lewelling to score what would be his first goal of the campaign.

Sure, Lewelling hasn’t scored in the Europa League yet this season, which may put some people off, but he’s certainly looked hungry, playing like a man who will soon get on the scoresheet. After all, no Stuttgart player has taken more UEL shots than Jamie Lewelling in the competition this term. He averages a huge 5.22 shots per 90 minutes, so he’s clearly keen to go for goal.

Only two players in the whole competition have averaged more shots per 90 minutes, while Lewelling also averages a healthy 0.30 xG. Against a Go Ahead Eagles side that has been conceding plenty of goals in recent weeks, the German looks a decent bet.

Red Star Belgrade vs FCSB: Darius Olaru to Receive a Card (+250)

Changing approach here a little, I cannot resist betting on serial fouler Darius Olaru to pick up a card in the Serbian capital. While our Red Star Belgrade vs FCSB prediction sees goals coming for both sides, we're going for a card prediction for our final pick. This will likely be a feisty game, while Olaru has shown that he’s a player who struggles to stay within the rules in the Europa League this season.

As the stats above show, Olaru is the most prolific fouler in the competition this time around, making no fewer than 13 fouls in four appearances. Each of his two yellow cards have come away from home, and in those two away games, he’s made a total of nine fouls, fouling five times against Go Ahead Eagles, before fouling four times against Basel.

In all competitions this season, Olaru has made more fouls than any other FCSB player, so I really cannot see why he’s not one of the lowest-priced players to get a yellow here. Given the numbers, odds of +250 are just too good to ignore.