The Europa Conference League circus is back in town once more, with all manner of surprise and upset from Gameweek 1 trailing in its wake. With some teams licking their wounds, and others seeing new vistas of possibility open up before them, it’s time to look ahead to the games to come.
Pick of the Games:
Astana – Viktoria Plzeň (15:30 BST)
Beşiktaş – Lugano (17:45 BST)
Breiðablik – Zorya Luhansk (17:45 BST)
KÍ – Lille (17:45 BST)
Aston Villa – Zrinjski Mostar (20:00 BST)
AZ – Legia Warszawa (20:00 BST)
Fiorentina – Ferencváros (20:00 BST)
PAOK – Eintracht Frankfurt (20:00 BST)
1) Lille should be wary of Small Stadium Syndrome
Lille handled their Conference League debut with sangfroid, cruising to a 2-0 victory at home to Olimpija Ljubljana. They could and should have beaten the Slovenian side by more, however, and a similarly lackadaisical approach could cost them in the Faroe Islands. Tórsvøllur is a very small stadium with an artificial pitch, which will be at least a little unfamiliar to elite footballers used to playing in front of tens of thousands. KÍ‘s record in Champions League qualifying and the momentousness of this occasion will fire up the home crowd. Lille should take heed from Roma’s humiliations in Bodø/Glimt in 2021 and AZ’s capitulation at Mostar last time out. As with a domestic cup tie away to a minnow, Lille will be overwhelming favourites to win this game; as with a domestic cup tie away to a minnow, it is easy for complacency to degenerate into panic.
2) Slovan set fair to progress
Slovan Bratislava have slipped on more than their fair share of banana skins in the course of their recent European history, and are only in this competition courtesy of another one. Slovan faced a tricky but winnable Europa League playoff second leg away to Aris Limassol, which they went into with a 2-1 aggregate lead and duly lost 6-2 (7-4) on the night. The Slovak champions seemed doomed to experience yet another ignominious European result when they went down 1-0 at home to KÍ in the latter’s first-ever European group game, so will be mightily relieved to have rallied and won 2-1. A Vladimír Weiss effort (that took a big deflection off Jóannes Danielsen), the veteran’s fourth goal of Slovan’s various European campaigns this season, was the catalyst for their comeback. Olimpija, limp in defeat away to Lille last time out, should be beatable – and a Slovan win will see the Slovaks on 6 points from two games, with their place in the knockouts all but sewn up. Right?
3) Genk vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv: Battle of the Unbeatens
Remarkably, both KAA Gent (they of the dubious club crest) and Maccabi Tel-Aviv are both undefeated in all competitions this season, with not even a stray away leg defeat in a two-legged qualifying tie to their name. The Israeli outfit are in imperious domestic form, while Gent are likewise joint-top of the Belgian top flight. The Belgians, however, have shown a marked penchant for draws this campaign, having drawn 4 of their last 5 games – including a surprise 1-1 stalemate away to Zorya Luhansk last time out. Yet another draw here would not be the end of the world, but a defeat would spell serious trouble for Gent’s hopes of topping the group. Maccabi, by contrast, sailed to a 3-0 lead over debutants Breiðablik in just over half an hour, only to ship a goal either side of half-time to 33-year-old Faroese international Klæmint Olsen and limp to a 3-2 win at the final whistle. Perhaps Genk’s qualifying ace Gift Orban, currently badly out-of-form, will be able to rally himself and wreak similar havoc in the Maccabi backline this week?
4) Is Europe a relief for Zorya – or a fatal distraction?
It has not been an easy decade off the field for Zorya Luhansk. They have played their domestic “home” fixtures in exile in Zaporizhzhia since 2014, and as a consequence of the full-scale Russian invasion last year are now required to play their European “home” games in Lublin. They have nevertheless largely prospered on the pitch, finishing in the European places in every season since their move to the Dnipro. This season, however, may be a bridge too far. Zorya impressed against Gent last time out, Panamanian forward Eduardo Guerrero the headline name who nabbed their equaliser, but Zorya’s domestic form has been nothing short of disastrous – they are winless in the league since mid-August, having scored three goals in their last six games, and their heroics at home to Gent have not sparked any kind of upturn. In that context a voyage to Iceland, to play a free-scoring Breiðablik side heartened by their near-comeback against Maccabi, could be a chance for a much-needed reset – or could push the weary exiles still deeper into crisis.
5) Astana and Plzeň both have a point to prove
It always seemed likely that Group C would involve Astana and Viktoria Plzeň battling it out for the second qualification spot – and Gameweek 1 did little to disabuse viewers of that notion. Plzeň were dominant against Kosovar minnows Ballkani but hardly impressed; their sole, late goal in a 1-0 win came courtesy of a(n un)fortunate deflection off Lumbardh Dellova’s leg. The Czech side come into this game smarting from a loss to league leaders Sparta Praha at the weekend. Astana, having lost 4-0 away to Dinamo in Champions League qualifying, meanwhile repeated the trick with a truly abject 5-1 defeat in Zagreb in which they were thoroughly outclassed in all departments. Plzeň will fancy themselves the favourites, although Astana could easily spring a surprise out on the Kazakh steppe if Plzeň don’t improve on the severe profligacy they displayed last time out.
6) Dark horses Dinamo outline their credentials
Whisper it quietly, but having to play at this level might actually be a good thing for Dinamo Zagreb. They have improved markedly as a club in the last decade, but the Champions League remains a bridge too far, and they have only once reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League. While the club’s bean-counters might have preferred the cast-iron financial guarantees that stem from Champions League qualification, the Conference League offers Dinamo their first plausible chance of continental silverware since they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967. If their 5-1 humiliation of Astana is anything to go by, the Croatian side seem keen to seize their opportunity. Ballkani, by contrast, may be suffering from a case of second-season syndrome. Although they did not make it out of their 2022-23 group, they gave all three of their opponents almighty frights along the way. Away to Plzeň, however, the Kosovar side failed to register a shot on target and were ultimately meek in defeat. A Dinamo win on Thursday will leave both sides with their fates all but set in stone after two games.
7) Brugge can take heart from opening-day heartache
One read of Club Brugge‘s opening-day draw at home to Beşiktaş is that the Belgians were, in shipping a late equaliser, punished for their profligacy. This is true, and not a verdict I would spare many other teams, but it obscures two noteworthy details. The first is that Beşiktaş’ late equaliser, which was preceded by not one but two egregious fouls in the build-up – one of which left Hans Vanaken with a nosebleed – should never have been allowed to stand. The second is that Brugge were not so much deservedly ahead as operating on a different level to the Turkish heavyweights, who were utterly outclassed. Brugge will need to work on their finishing if they want to make a serious run into the Conference League knockouts, but Bodø/Glimt – who were rather underwhelming away to Swiss debutants Lugano – will need to be at their very best if they want to spoil Ronny Deila’s first game back in Norway in almost four years.
8) Beşiktaş eclipsed by their neighbours
It’s been a big few weeks for Istanbul’s Big Three. Fenerbahçe strolled to success in their Conference League opener (more on which later), while Galatasaray recovered from an opening-day Champions League stumble at home to København with a victory for the ages at Old Trafford. Beşiktaş, by contrast, trail in the Süper Lig after chastening defeats to Trabzonspor and Adana Demirspor, and were truly woeful away to Club Brugge before the officials handed them an undeserved lifeline. A home game against Lugano, Group D’s unambiguous minnows despite their solid 0-0 draw with Bodø/Glimt, offers a chance for Beşiktaş to right the ship, but they will need to improve dramatically if they want to get out of their group – let alone make a deep run into the knockout stage. Beşiktaş’ goalkeeper Mert Günok should be in for a quieter night this time around, but that will count for little unless the Black Eagles’ midfield and attack can stamp their authority on what is on paper a notably leaky Lugano defence.
9) Villa’s squad players need to step up – and fast
Aston Villa went into this season looking to compete on four fronts. September finished with them knocked out of the Carabao Cup at home to Everton and chastened by a bruising away day at Legia Warszawa. Youri Tielemans’ free transfer is already shaping up to be a disaster for both parties, the Belgian visibly unfit and deserted by his once-trademark composure on the ball, while Clément Lenglet has been anonymous rather than understated and Nicolò Zaniolo is yet to truly find his feet in England. Longer-term West Midlands denizens such as Leander Dendoncker and Calum Chambers have also conspicuously failed to impress. With injuries stalking Villa Park, this summer’s big-name punts need to raise their game at home to Zrinjski Mostar. Zrinjski, however, will doubtless have a thing or two to say themselves, having gone 3-0 down in Bosnia-Herzegovina only to pull off a mighty 4-3 comeback win that will go down in Conference League history. That Zrinjski achieved their upset by filleting AZ on the counter will doubtless ring alarm bells for Unai Emery, whose high-wire defensive line has never looked more cumbersome than it did in Warsaw.
10) AZ hoping a shock has cured their hiccup
AZ have been in fine domestic form this season, having only dropped two points and conceded three goals in their first seven Eredivisie games. They carried that assurance into their game at Mostar last time out, strolling into the dressing-room 3-0 up at half-time. After which they capitulated to a barely believable degree, with some particularly woeful goalkeeping from one-time Arsenal keeper Mat Ryan only partly explaining their humillation. The Dutch side haven’t let the chastening experience derail their league campaign but, having been repeatedly scythed through on the counter by Zrinjski, they will doubtless have mixed feelings about the visit of Legia Warszawa, who repeatedly scythed through Aston Villa on the counter. Ernest Muçi terrorised what was at least theoretically a Premier League defence, while Bartosz Slisz was an all-action midfield presence and Kacper Tobiasz belied his youth with a strong display in goal. Legia will nevertheless need to keep their emotions in check if they hope to succeed – they have had a player sent off in five of their last nine games. (These sendings-off have, however, only happened in alternate games, and they had a man sent off against Jagiellonia in their last Ekstraklasa fixture, so if the Almighty has any respect for patterns Legia will keep all eleven men on the pitch tonight.)
11) Ferencváros face a further test of their mettle
Ferencváros went 1-0 down at home to Čukarički last time out, but rebounded to utterly dominate their Serbian opponents and comfortably win 3-1. They passed that test of their character, but if they ship a similarly weak early goal away to Fiorentina you would not back them to repeat the outcome. A Ferencváros win tonight is decidedly unlikely, and even a draw would represent a very creditable outcome. With their third and fourth games in the group both crucial ones against Genk, the Hungarians’ trip to the city of Dante (the poet, not the footballer) nevertheless represents an important litmus test for their chances of making it to the Conference knockouts. Fiorentina, meanwhile, were unconvincing in drawing away to Genk in their first game, twice surrendering their lead, and will hope to bring more of their strong domestic form to the Artemio Franchi in this fixture.
12) A must-win game for Genk
Genk have drawn seven of their last 10 games in all competitions, which goes some way to explaining why they find themselves firmly ensconced in mid-table in the Belgian top-flight. Given their next two European fixtures are both against Ferencváros, their rivals for Group F’s second qualification spot, tonight’s trip to Belgrade to face Čukarički is one where Genk really need to break their habit and pick up a win. Unfortunately, they also face a crucial domestic figure against Gent on Sunday having played Club Brugge a week ago, meaning there may well be some tired legs in the Belgian line-up. Čukarički, by contrast, have only played the one game since their trip to Hungary, namely a game away to Spartak Subotica on Saturday which they won comfortably. (They should have played two more league games between Ferencváros and the Spartak fixture, but both were postponed; I have been unable to work out why.) Although Genk are justified hevay favourites, Čukarički could nick a result – perhaps Đorđe Ivanović will be inspired by netting Čukarički’s sole goal in Budapest?
13) PAOK could surprise blunt Eintracht
PAOK made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the inaugural Conference League, only to crash out in last season’s second qualifying round. While repeating their first-season feat could be a tall order this timer around, the Greeks are in with a solid chance of progressing from their group. They were a little unfortunate (and profligate) in only beating HJK by one goal, although clearly vulnerable to balls into the box, and their varied and imposing attack will trouble plenty of teams. Eintracht are not particularly well-disposed to punish whatever defensive naïveté PAOK might present; for all the deserved plaudits for their Europa League exploits two years ago, the Germans are notably goal-shy this season. Since beating fourth-tier Lokomotive Leipzig 7-0 in the DFB-Pokal in their opening game of the season, Frankfurt’s finest have played nine games (none against particularly intimidating opposition) and scored… nine goals. They are winless in five in the league and, despite totally dominating possession and winning 2-1, were deeply unconvincing against a poor Aberdeen side last time out. It would be a surprising upset but hardly unthinkable if the one-headed German eagle gets its wings clipped by the two-headed Byzantine eagle tonight.
14) HJK and Aberdeen do battle for third place
HJK finished a distant third in their 2021-22 Conference League group, beating Alashkert of Armenia home and away but never seriously competing with more illustrious opposition. They also experienced a chastening Europa League campaign last season. They were unfortunate to be drawn into a very strong group again this year, with PAOK and Eintracht both operating a level above them. The Finns are at least comfortably top of the Veikkausliiga and can therefore give this competition their full attention, although they will doubtless rue playing PAOK first rather than Aberdeen. The Scottish side were absolutely dreadful prior to playing Eintracht, but were very creditable in narrow defeat in Frankfurt. They seem to have used that heartening result to remind themselves that they are in fact a football team, and have subsequently won all three of their intervening games before tonight. Aberdeen are still very unlikely to progress out of the group, but a victory tonight would set them fair for at least a third-place finish – and even that looked very unlikely but a few weeks ago.
15) Fenerbahçe mean business
It has been a decade since Fenerbahçe last won the Turkish Süper Lig, and their greatest European achievement (barring their triumph in the 1966-67 Balkans Cup) remains a Europa League semi-final defeat to Benfica in 2013. It nevertheless feels like something special could be brewing this year. Fener are top of the Süper Lig ahead of a similarly impressive Galatasaray side, waltzed through Conference qualifying and humbled inexplicable hipsters’ favourites FC Nordsjælland in their Group H opener. Fener have recruited wisely this summer, with Fred perhaps their most astute signing. The Brasilian, ill-used and perhaps overwhelmed by the ambient derangement at Manchester United, has taken to life in Istanbul like a duck to water and bagged a brace of assists against the Danes. Spartak Trnava, who were utterly outclassed away to Ludogorets last time out, should not pose any serious issues for the storied Turkish giants – who could yet be dark horses for the entire tournament.
16) Nordsjælland need to be wary of Ludogorets
Ludogorets’ story is not exactly romantic – they were also-rans in the Bulgarian lower leagues until they were acquired by pharmaceutical magnate Kiril Domuschiev, and have subsequently won every Bulgarian top-flight title since they were promoted in 2011. They have become Europa League mainstays since, although they have only once (in 2013-14) made it past the first knockout round. I did not particularly fancy Ludogorets to make it out of a tough Conference League group this season, but their thrashing of Spartak Trnava (admittedly aided by some truly wretched defending by the Slovakians) is an unambiguous statement of intent. Nordsjælland‘s model of identifying, recruiting and selling on a wide array of European and African prospects has won them plaudits despite the murkiness of the enterprise, but one downside of operating a conveyor belt of young talent is that the first XI can often wind up looking a little callow. That was certainly the case against Fenerbahçe, where the Danish side wilted in what is admittedly one of European football’s fiercer atmospheres. If they want to recover and get out of this group, Nordsjælland’s young guns will need to find some steel of their own – and stay wary of a canny Ludogorets side with a lethal touch.
