The final matchday of the UEFA Conference League is set to be one of the most dramatic evenings of football for the calendar year. All 36 teams will have their matches occur concurrently, as 14 teams look to lock down a place in the knockout rounds. Seven spots in the last 16 are also up for grabs, while three teams will see their European season come to an end that night.
Ahead of what should be a thrilling night of action, The Deck previews the 18 games that are to take place.
UEFA Conference League: Matchday 6
Last Drink Saloon for Trio
Strasbourg (13 points, 1st place) will look to top the league phase, and also play spoiler at home to Breiðablik (5, 27th). The Ligue 1 side is the only one to have locked down a round of 16 spot, and will finish top with a victory. However, the pressure is on the Icelandic side. They require a victory to have any shot at advancing. After winning for the first time last week at home, they will have reason to have some belief. With that said, they have won just once on the road in their last 11 European games, losing nine of them.
Looking to snatch a top eight place, Crystal Palace (9, 9th) ends their maiden group phase with a home match against KuPS Kuopio (6, 25th). The Eagles prevailed last time out, earning their third victory of the league phase. To earn a direct spot in the round of 16, they will need a win at home, something they managed on matchday 2. As for KuPS, they have conceded just three times in the league phase, a figure only bettered by three other sides. The Finnish outfit heads into the match needing at least a point to have hopes of progressing, which would be a first for a side from their country. Defeat will end their first appearance in the group phase of a European club competition.
The other team on the outside looking for the playoffs is Zrinjski Mostar (6, 26th), who welcomes bottom club Rapid Wien (0, 36th). Similar to KuPS, the Bosnian side, who is in the Conference League for the second time in three seasons, requires at least a draw to have any hope of making it further in the tournament. Fortunately for them, they have won both of their home games so far, something they will look to keep going. Rapid, on the other side, will aim to avoid finishing dead last, as they are the only team amongst the 36 not to have claimed a point.
History on the Line for Europe’s Minnows
Legia Warszawa (3, 30th) plays their final match of this season’s Conference League at home to Lincoln Red Imps (7, 24th). Few would have expected the Polish side, who reached the quarterfinals last term, to be eliminated at this stage of the tournament. Yet, with just one win in five, their role has been reduced to playing spoiler. Lincoln has earned all seven points at home so far, and will need to win an away match for the first time since July to be sure of advancing. Having already created history in the competition this fall, the Red Imps already defeated Polish side, stunning Lech Poznań back on matchday 2.
Another team who will unexpectedly be knocked out at the league phase, Dynamo Kyiv (3, 28th) faces Noah (8, 18th). The Ukrainians failed to impress in their first appearance in the UECL proper, picking up their three points on matchday 3. Despite recording the largest victory of the fall, they will exit a European club competition before February for the fifth season running. Having narrowly missed out on the knockout stage last term, Noah is on the cusp of being the first Armenian team to successfully negotiate a European group phase. It will be their first test against a club from Ukraine as well.
Two sides who have done some stunning things in this season’s UECL, AEK Larnaca (9, 10th) and Shkëndija (7, 21st), square off in Cyprus. The hosts are one of three teams who have yet to been defeated in the competition this season, although they have drawn their last three. They conceded their only goal in the dying moments last Thursday. North Macedonia’s Shkëndija has put themselves in an incredible position. Ballistët have their last four European away games though, and will likely need a point on their travels to avoid elimination on Thursday night.
Rayo Vallecano (10, 7th) will hope to maintain their place in the top eight come the end of the evening as they welcome Drita (8, 19th). The Spaniards have never been defeated at home in Europe, drawing just once in their previous nine. While they have already qualified for the knockout stage, they know three points are required to have them avoid the knockout playoffs. Drita nears a place in the knockout rounds, a first for a club from Kosovo. They have taken four points from two away games in the league phase.
Direct Matchups to Add Further Intrigue
Our pick for tie of the round comes in Czechia, where Sigma Olomouc (7, 22nd) takes on Lech Poznań (7, 20th) in what could end up being an elimination game for both teams. It is a fairly simple scenario: avoid defeat, and a spot in the knockout round is all but assured. Sigma heads into this match off the back of an unexpected reverse in Gibraltar. Playing in a league phase for the first time, last season’s Czech Cup victors has not lost at home in this fall in Europe. They drew their other clash with a Polish side on matchday 2. Lech has yet to earn any points on the road in the Conference League this term, also losing to Lincoln Red Imps. Their other appearance in the tournament proper saw the reach the last eight in 2022/23.
The other direct duel will occur in Germany, as Mainz (10, 8th) and Samsunspor (10, 5th) meet in a crucial tie. If there is a winner, that team will enter the round of 16, but a draw will almost surely see neither do so. The Bundesliga club has lost only once in 11 European home games, that coming nearly 20 years ago in the UEFA Cup. After winning their opening three, they have yet to come out on top in their subsequent two. That is also the case for Samsunspor, who conceded twice in their two most recent games after keeping three clean sheets. Still the Turks have done well in their first foray in Europe. They did not lose either of their road matches in the league phase, which could give them hope.
Round of 16 Places Up for Grabs
Heading into the final round of their maiden Conference League appearance, Shakhtar Donetsk (12, 2nd) meets Rijeka (8, 14th). The Ukrainians have had little problems in the competition thus far, with their reverse to Legia on matchday 2 being their only loss of points. They will just need to avoid defeat in Poland to go straight to the last 16. As for Rijeka, who won a domestic double last season, they are on the precipice of a knockout round showing for the first time. They do have a poor away form though, having just one victory in their last nine (1-2-6).
Omonoia Nicosia (8, 15th) nears a second straight appearance in the knockout round playoffs, and will welcome Raków Częstochowa (11, 3rd) to conclude their league phase. The Cypriots have come out on top in their last two, putting them in a great spot to advance. They are 2-1-1 against teams from Poland, although they lost to Legia at home in last season’s competition. Raków is the other unbeaten team in the Conference League heading into matchday 6. Victory will ensure that they qualify for the last 16. They have yet to lose on the road in Europe this campaign, winning all three of their qualifying round road ties.
After having an up-and-down opening five rounds, AZ Alkmaar (9, 13th) plays host to Jagiellonia Białystok (8, 18th). AZ’s only other home match against a Polish team in Europe came at this stage of the UECL two years ago in a victory over Legia. They did lose the reverse fixture though, something they will looking to avoid as they chase a top eight place. Jagiellonia has not shone like they did last fall, but is a point away from guaranteeing progression. They are unbeaten on the road so far (2-3-0) – qualifiers included – having drawn their last three.
Celje (9, 12th) looks to end their league phase on a high when they meet Shelbourne (1, 34th). The Slovenians started the fall with three consecutive wins, including a success over Shamrock Rovers on matchday 2, only to lose the last two. Victory at home will be needed if they wish to earn a round of 16 berth without the need of the knockout playoffs. Shelbourne, meanwhile, is already eliminated with a round to play. They are the only side of the 108 to participate in a league phase this term not to have scored. They will hope to at least manage a goal to break their duck.
Lausanne-Sport (8, 16th) has done just enough to move on, and will take on Fiorentina (9, 11th). The Swiss side has had a decent run in the Conference League this term in their first appearance in the tournament. With that said, they will look to end their three-game winless run, having commenced with a pair of wins. They will be up against it though, as Fiorentina will have their eye on a top eight finish. La Viola recovered from back-to-back defeats last week with a win over Dynamo Kyiv. Remarkably, they have never lost on Swiss soil across seven previous trips (5-2-0).
It has been quite the league phase for AEK Athens (10, 4th), with the Greek side welcoming CS Universitatea Craiova (7, 23rd) to cap off their autumn. The hosts have scored the most of the 36 teams with 11 goals. They have scored at least twice in three of their last four outings. A win will secure their place in March’s last 16. For Romania’s CSU Craiova, they earned wins on matchdays 3 and 4, which puts them in a position to advance. They still need a result in the Greek capital, as anything less could eliminate them. They have a 3-0-1 record versus teams from Greece, though this will be their first clash against AEK Athens.
Sparta Praha (10, 6th) will look to make it three wins in a row versus Aberdeen (2, 33rd). The Czech side earned key away wins over the last two rounds, putting them in a position to qualify for the round of 16. They have a strong record versus Scottish teams, winning seven of 12 previous matches (7-2-3). The Dons grabbed two draws in the league phase, but, just as was the case in the 2023/24 season, they will not get past this round of the tournament. Aberdeen lost both of their previous clashes with a Czech team, falling to Sigma Olomouc in the Europa League third qualifying round in 2009/10.
Eliminated Quartet Looked to End on a High
There are two dead rubbers on Thursday, one of which will see Shamrock Rovers (1, 35th) take on Ħamrun Spartans (3, 32nd). The Irish outfit could not live up to their performance last fall, where they reached the playoffs. They knocked off Hibernians in the Champions League first qualifying round two years ago, where the current League of Ireland champions reached the group stage for the first time that season. Ħamrun will end their first foray into a group phase having won a match back in October. While Ta’ Werwer will be disappointed not to move on, they did create history for their nation by getting this far.
We conclude this preview with the clash between Slovan Bratislava (3, 31st) and BK Häcken (3, 29th). Slovakia’s Slovan has now been eliminated in the UECL group stage/league phase for the for second time in four appearances. Having won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1968/69, it is quite the surprise to see them be knocked out so early. It will be their first match against a Swedish team. Häcken will try to claim their first-ever win at this stage of the Conference League at the 12th time of asking. They are one of five teams not to have prevailed in the league phase this fall.