Europa League Team of the Playoff Round XI

The first leg of the Europa League playoff round is in the books. Teams such as Celtic, Nottingham Forest and Stuttgart were in action – but who made it into our team of the round?

Previously, we put together a team of the round for the Champions League playoffs – today, we’ll be doing the same thing for the Europa League.

GK: Stefan Ortega

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega put forth a faultless display for Nottingham Forest in their dominant victory over Fenerbahce.

The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is never an easy place to visit, but Ortega wasn’t over-awed by the occasion, maintaining his clean sheet with relative ease.

RB: Son

Ludogorets had been drawn against Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros in the Europa League – as two surprise packages, this one was a real 50/50.

Nevertheless, Son took the game by the horns. He dominated the right flank, capping off his performance with a goal in the second half.

CB: Murillo

Nottingham Forest’s Premier League form might be dismal, but new head coach Vitor Peirera certainly had them firing in the Europa League.

They defeated Fenerbahce by a score of 3-0 – Murillo scored a goal and managed to keep a clean sheet along the way.

CB: Jhon Lucumi

Jhon Lucumi had plenty of work to do when Bologna made the trip to Brann in near-freezing temperatures, but he proved that he was up for the fight.

He made plenty of clearances, tackles and blocks to secure the win and a clean sheet for the Serie A outfit.