g in aMatchday 3 of the UEFA Conference League has arrived, with plenty of excitement expected to occur as always. There were quite a few shockers in the opening rounds, but now the pressure intensifies. Six clubs enter this round with two wins from two, while another half a dozen are looking to get on the board.
Here is The Deck’s preview ahead of the third round of league phase play.
UEFA Conference League: Matchday 3
Battle of the Unbeaten Teams in Early Kickoff
After returning to winning ways last time out, AEK Athens will look to solidify their chances of advancing as they take on Shamrock Rovers. The Greek side is on a six-game winning streak at home in Europe, conceding just once in their last five. This is their first test against a club from Ireland. Meanwhile, Shamrock will be looking to avoid defeat versus a side from Greece for the first time, having lost their previous four encounters. After making the knockout round last season, they are in need of points to be able to return there next spring.
Having pulled off a shock last round, AEK Larnaca aims to make it three wins in three when they welcome Aberdeen. In what is their first foray in the Conference League group phase, the Cypriot club has yet to concede two rounds in. Participating fourth group stage/league phase all-time, they have already bettered their previous performances. In stark contrast, the Dons are bottom of the bunch, with their nine goals conceded being the most of the 36 teams. They have not featured in a knockout round tie since 2007/08 in the UEFA Cup.
One of the interesting ties in the early kickoffs, Celje faces Legia Warszawa. The Slovenian outfit has gone from strength to strength, winning both clashes so far. After a quarterfinal appearance in 2024/25, Celje is already putting in some strong performances. They have never beaten a Polish team in three attempts though (0-1-2). Fellow quarterfinalists from last campaign, Legia left it late on matchday 2 to beat Shakhtar Donetsk. The challenge for them will now be to go back-to-back, which would put them in an excellent spot to advance from the league phase for the second year in a row.
KuPS Kuopio, recently crowned champions of Finland for the second season running, faces Slovak regulars Slovan Bratislava. Enjoying their maiden group phase appearance, KuPS drew both of their opening games. They are one of three clubs to do this, and victory here would go quite a way in helping their chances at progression. Slovan was eliminated by their opponents in the 2020/21 Europa League third qualifying round, losing on penalties in a one-off match. They have yet to pick up a point, so a result is key for them in Finland.
Perhaps the standout match among the early games is in Germany, where Mainz plays host to Fiorentina. Owning a 6-3-1 home record in Europe all-time, Mainz heads into this one having grabbed a pair of 1-0 wins to start their maiden UECL run. Victory here will all but secure their first-ever presence in a knockout round. They face the club with more Conference League games under their belt than any other team (42). Fiorentina is also 2-0-0, and is nearing a fourth successive showing in the knockout rounds.
For the second league phase in a row, Noah faces a Czech side at home, as Sigma Olomouc makes the trip to Armenia. Back in the Conference League’s league phase, the Armenian champions have had a good start, earning four points already. That matches their total from last fall. They earned their only win in 2024/25 against a Czech club, beating Mladá Boleslav 2-0. Sigma snapped a five-game losing streak in Europe two weeks ago, but is still awaiting their first victory of the UECL proper. They have failed to score in their last three away games.
A battle of the group phase debutants occurs in Türkiye, where Samsunspor takes on Ħamrun Spartans. It could not have been a better beginning to the UECL for Samsunspor, who prevailed in both clashes without conceding. Third in their league last campaign, Kırmızı Şimşekler could not ask to be in a better position heading into this clash. For Ħamrun, they have suffered a pair of narrow 1-0 defeats to open their maiden group phase. However, they will fancy their chances to end that run, especially after some gutsy performances in Europe this season.
Shakhtar Donetsk will be out to make amends for their matchday 2 reverse, with the Pitmen meeting Breiðablik. This will be their first-ever match against an Icelandic club in Europe. They have not suffered consecutive losses in ‘home’ European games in 14 years, and have not done so in the same season since 2008/09. As for Breiðablik, who was recently dethroned in their league, they lost both matches versus Zorya Luhansk in their other group phase showing two years ago. They did, however, claim a point for the first time two weeks ago.
Our pick for the tie of the round is from Czechia, where Sparta Praha hosts Raków Częstochowa. It was an unexpected defeat for Sparta last time out, finishing their game on the Friday due to averse weather. They do have a splendid record against Polish teams, going 5-0-1. They will look to avoid losing consecutive European games for the third year in a row. Raków currently sits in the top eight despite their draw in their previous match. That result came at Sigma, meaning this will be their second straight trip to Czechia. They have never won there in two attempts, losing to Slavia Praha in the playoff round in 2022/23.
Crystal Palace Looks to Bounce Back
Following a shock loss at home, Crystal Palace will aim to put the record straight in their game against AZ Alkmaar. Both teams share 1-0-1 records, having been beaten by the same opponent. It was also the first time that Palace conceded on the European stage after keeping three clean sheets. AZ’s record against English teams is not great – they have just three wins in 21 matches all-time (3-5-13). They have also never won on the road in such games, losing in all 10 attempts.
Already on the back foot, Dynamo Kyiv needs to turn things around quickly ahead of their clash with Zrinjski Mostar. The Ukrainians are one of four clubs not to have scored in the first two rounds, falling in both games. In fact, they have prevailed in group phase matches just once since 2021/22. Zrinjski sits in a pretty good spot despite losing their last tie. With a +4 goal difference, they could take a huge step in advancing should they get the job done. This will be their first test against a club from Ukraine.
BK Häcken is up against Strasbourg in what looks to be an interesting matchup. The Swedes were denied all three points very late on last time out, settling for a second draw on the spin. They already bettered their Europa League group stage results from two autumns ago, where they failed to pick up a single point. Making their return to European football after six years away, Strasbourg has an unbeaten start so far, qualifiers included (2-2-0). They eliminated Elfsborg 4-3 on aggregate in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup first round.
Switzerland’s Lausanne-Sport looks to remain perfect in their maiden Conference League season as they battle Omonoia Nicosia. The Swiss club has yet to concede in the UECL proper after two great results. They have already eclipsed the 2020/21 campaign for the most European victories they have had with six from eight matches (6-1-1). In seven previous attempts, Omonoia has never come out on top in an away match in the UECL proper (0-4-4). They are on one point from two matches, meaning victory will be key on Thursday night.
Lincoln Red Imps will hope to pull off another stunning result when they face Rijeka at home. The side from Gibraltar caused quite the stir after getting past Lech Poznań on matchday 2. That was the first time they won a group phase game in Europe after losing on their first seven attempts. For Rijeka, they were also victorious two weeks ago, and should they grab another win, it would put them on the cusp of playing knockout football for the first time in club history. It will be their maiden contest against a Gibraltarian opponent.
Rayo Vallecano returns home to host Lech Poznań in their tie. The Spanish outfit has grabbed four points from their opening two games, but will be up against it in their match. They have never lost a European tie at home though, going 7-1-0 in such matches. Lech, having suffered an unexpected loss a fortnight ago, will want a positive response. Despite their 5-7-27 record versus Spanish opposition, they have prevailed in a UECL game a few years ago versus Villarreal. That could give them hope heading into the game.
Shelbourne faces off against Drita in a fascinating match with UEFA coefficient implications. The Irish side finished third in their most recent league campaign, and will want to claim three points at the third time of asking. They have also yet to score in the UECL, though they did claim a point a month ago. Drita comes into this game on a four-game unbeaten run in Europe, stretching back to late August (2-2-0). They have never faced an Irish team in Europe before, and will fancy their chances to take what could be a very important result.
Shkëndija will have their hands full in their clash with Jagiellonia Białystok. The North Macedonian side made history for their nation two weeks ago, claiming an infamous win. That puts them in a more than decent position going into this game. Even a point from this one could really give them a chance to progress from the league phase. Jagiellonia has yet to lose on the road in Europe this campaign (2-2-0), drawing their last two. The Poles made the quarterfinals in 2024/25 before losing to Real Betis.
Finally, Rapid Wien plays host to CS Universitatea Craiova. The Austrian regulars sits second from the bottom in the league phase standings heading into this difficult match. Defeat at home on Thursday will leave them with a mountain to climb if they are to successfully negotiate this stage of the competition for the second year running. CSU Craiova is also chasing a maiden victory in the Conference League proper. They have a point from two matches, but could really use a win if they are to make a serious push towards the top 24.