The final qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League is upon us. Twelve of the competition’s final 19 spots in the league phase are on the line, something all 24 teams involved will strive for.
Ahead of this playoff round, The Deck previews each of the ties, and will predict which team will triumph in each of the 12 ties.
UEFA Europa League Playoff Round
In a round with many rematches, Maccabi Tel Aviv takes on Dynamo Kyiv. This is the third time the pair will do battle in Europe, but the first in qualifying. Maccabi managed a draw in both of their 2011/12 Europa League group stage games, but lost both of their meetings in the Champions League group stage four years later. The Israeli have not been to the UEL proper since 2020/21. Dynamo, meanwhile, will be aiming to make the main rounds of the UEL for the third time in four years. They have never lost a tie in this competition’s qualifiers. Prediction: Dynamo Kyiv
Shkëndija will be looking for another upset as they face UEL regulars Ludogorets. The North Macedonian club, who became the second from their country to make a group phase, last participated in the last round of qualifying in 2018/19. They have lost all six games at this stage historically. They will battle a Ludogorets team who has become regular features in the competition’s main rounds. In seven of the last eight years, the Razgrad-based team has featured in the group phase. They have only lost one qualifying tie in the UEL all-time, which came two years ago at this stage to Ajax. Prediction: Ludogorets
Another repeat clash sees Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys meet. The Slovak champion is 0-1-3 against their opponents, losing 3-2 on aggregate in the 2021/22 Champions League second qualifying round. They will be looking for an appearance in the UEL proper for the first time since 2019/20. For Young Boys, they made the round of 16 in the Europa League four years ago, but have not been back in the group phase since. It has been a decade since Qarabağ took them out at this round of the tournament. Prediction: Young Boys
Malmö does battle with Sigma Olomouc in their playoff round tie. The Swedish club’s record versus Czech teams is not very good. They have just one win in seven (1-1-5), losing their last three. Sparta Praha knocked them out of the Champions League at the playoff round last August, beating them across both legs. Czech Cup winner Sigma will enjoy group phase football for the very first time. They lost both of their previous ties at this stage to Everton and Sevilla. In fact, in their last three European participations, they have been knocked out at the final round before group football. Prediction: Sigma Olomouc
Greek giants Panathinaikos will have Turkish opposition in the round as they face European debutant Samsunspor. In four previous clashes with teams from Türkiye, the side from Athens has a 1-1-2 record. It has been 16 years since they faced Galatasaray in the group stage, losing both matches. That still was their best run in the Europa League, where they reached the round of 16. Samsunpor enjoyed their joint-best finish in the Süper Lig with a third place showing, something they had not done since 1986/87. Their reward was a maiden spot in a major UEFA club competition. Prediction: Panathinaikos
Former UEFA Cup Winners Cup champions Aberdeen will make their return to the UEL qualifiers by facing FCSB in our pick for tie of the round. The Dons got past Argeș Pitești in the second round of the UEFA Cup back in 1982/83, which was their only other meeting against a Romanian team. In what is their 10th appearance in this tournament’s qualifying round, they will hope to reach the group phase for the first time under its current guise. FCSB owns a 4-2-3 record against teams from Scotland, and has not made the group phase in consecutive years since 2016/17 and 2017/18. Prediction: Aberdeen
Lech Poznań and Genk square off in another repeat tie. The Poles are in search of a fourth showing in the Europa League proper, and first since 2020/21. On that occasion, they took out Sporting Charleroi in this very round in a one-off match. That was, and still is their only win on Belgian soil in four attempts (1-0-3). As for Genk, they have managed to get past this round in each of their last four attempts. They also eliminated their opponents in the 2018/19 third qualifying round, prevailing in both legs. Like Lech, they will play in a league phase for the first time this fall. Prediction: Genk
Europa League regulars FC Midjtylland has fellow Nordic opposition this time as KuPS Kuopio faces them. The Danes have struggled in playoff round ties over the last decade plus. They have lost at this stage of qualification in seven of their last nine attempts. In fact, only once have they been able to make the UEL groups via qualification, back in 2015/16. This will be KuPS’ fourth tie with a Danish club, having beaten Boldklubben 6-5 on aggregate in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup. They are just the second Finnish team to partake in a group phase after HJK. Prediction: FC Midtjylland
Lincoln Red Imps has a high-profile opponent for their tie, as they meet the UEL’s ever-present side Sporting Braga. The team from Gibraltar is playing in the UEL playoff stage for the first time ever, having edged Noah on penalties last time out. In the process, they have also secured group football for the second time in club history. Making the main rounds of the UEL will not be likely though, as they are up against a Braga team who is no stranger to this competition. In fact, only twice has Braga not featured at any stage of the competition in its history, reaching the final in 2010/11. Prediction: Sporting Braga
Zrinjski Mostar has a rematch on their hands as they take on Utrecht. The Bosnians pulled off an upset in the second qualifying round at their opponent’s expense six years ago. Overall, they have a respectable 2-1-1 versus Dutch clubs, having also beaten AZ. That came in their only other group phase appearance two years ago in the Conference League. Utrecht has won all four of their UEL qualifiers this summer, securing a spot in the main round for the first time in 15 years. They are unbeaten in their last 14 home games in Europe (7-7-0). Prediction: Utrecht
Another team making their group phase debut this fall, SK Brann, meets AEK Larnaca. After falling at the final hurdle of UECL qualifying in their last two summers, Brann made it past Häcken last round to secure at minimum a place in the UECL proper. The Norwegians, who made the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners Cup quarterfinals, have lost both of their home games this summer. AEK is the sole surviving team from the Europa League’s opening round of qualification. This is their sixth time in this stage of the competition, prevailing in three of their previous five attempts. Prediction: SK Brann
We conclude with the tie between Rijeka and PAOK Thessaloniki. Across six previous matches with Greek teams, Rijeka has never come out on top (0-2-4). They lost 3-1 on aggregate in the UECL playoffs against PAOK four years ago. The Croats are aiming to get past this stage for the fourth time, and first since 2020/21. PAOK boasts a record of 6-2-2 against Croatian teams. Their last such meeting came in 2023/24, when they beat Dinamo Zagreb 5-3 on aggregate in the Conference League’s round of 16 en route to a quarterfinal exit. Prediction: PAOK Thessaloniki