The UEFA Conference League has enjoyed another successful campaign. Now in its fourth season, the competition has drawn much attention over its short history. Clubs from all over Europe have graced the main rounds of the tournament, creating unforgettable moments for fans.
We have now reached the quarterfinal stage of the UECL, as we are closer to finding out who will be in May’s final. Two former winners of European silverware remain among the octet. Here is The Deck’s preview of the action, as well as a prediction as to who will advance past this round.
UEFA Conference League Quarterfinals
Jagiellonia Białystok vs Real Betis
Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok, one of the Conference League’s stories this campaign, faces off against LaLiga outfit Real Betis.
Before this season, Jagiellonia had never won more than two European ties in a continental journey. Now, the Ekstraklasa side has won eight times, qualifiers included, and is preparing for a maiden continental quarterfinal. They have never faced a side from any of the ‘Big 5’ leagues before this tie, which will make this all the more exciting for the club. IN the UECL proper, they have kept four clean sheets at home, including in the round of 16 when they got past Cercle Brugge 3-2 on aggregate.
Real Betis has become the first Spanish side to make the UECL quarterfinals. This comes despite having a rather average league phase for their standards. They have already faced a Polish team in the competition this term, losing 1-0 to Legia Warszawa back on matchday 1. But, they have improved on their travels since then. The Spaniards have won their last three on the road, keeping clean sheets in each tie.
Prediction: Real Betis
Fiorentina vs Celje
Back-to-back UECL finalist Fiorentina faces off against Celje in what most would consider to be one of the most lopsided ties in the competition’s short history.
La Viola have enjoyed deep runs in all three of their Conference League campaigns. Defeats to West Ham and Olympiakos Piraeus denied them of a second European trophy in the two previous years, but they are hungry to make it back to the final. Despite winning just one of their five away matches in Europe this term, they have impressed at home. In fact, Fiorentina is on a 12-game unbeaten run in Florence, coming out on top in each of their last four.
Celje has created history for themselves, becoming Slovenia’s first-ever European quarterfinalist. Rumeno-modri are the only team left in Europe to start at the first qualifying round. Now 18 games later, they are in the last eight. Across their nine home games this term, Celje has gone unbeaten, winning six of those outings. Half of those victories came in the UECL proper, where they are also the lowest ranked team – both in league phase position and UEFA club coefficient – left in the competition.
Prediction: Fiorentina
Chelsea vs Legia Warszawa
Tournament favourite Chelsea meets Polish opposition for the very first time as they battle Legia Warszawa.
The Blues have steamrolled the competition in the UECL thus far, winning all eight matches across the league phase and round of 16. In each of their last two European seasons, they were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage. On both of those occasions, this occurred in the Champions League against Real Madrid. Chelsea’s 29 goals scored in the Conference League proper are already the most by any team in a single season of the competition.
For Legia, this is their seventh continental quarterfinal, and first since 1996. Only twice have they gone farther than this in Europe. Qualifiers included, Legioniści have kept five clean sheets in seven home matches. They even have a decent record against English sides, having won three of eight previous games (3-2-3). It will be their second time meeting a Premier League club in the UECL, as they also faced Aston Villa in the group stage last term. On that occasions, both teams won their respective home match.
Prediction: Chelsea
Rapid Wien vs Djurgården
Our pick for tie of the round features the only match not to involve a team from a ‘Big 5’ league, as Rapid Wien takes on Djurgården.
No Austrian club has gone as far in the UECL than Rapid has. The capital club is in a European quarterfinal since they made the second of their two Cup Winners Cup finals, back in 1996. They are unbeaten across their last nine home matches in Europe since a shocking 1-0 defeat to FC Vaduz in the competition’s playoff round two seasons ago. Across four previous meetings with Swedish opposition, Rapid has never lost (3-1-0).
Djurgården has managed to do one better than the 2022/23 campaign, where they reached the Conference League last 16. It is just their second ever European quarterfinal, with the other one coming in the 1955/56 European Cup. That was the first season of UEFA club competition action. Winning their last four league phase games gave them direct entrance to the last 16, where they overcame a first leg deficit to knock off Paphos. On matchday 1, they drew 2-2 at LASK, which is their only other matchup against an Austrian opponent.
Prediction: Rapid Wien