The UEFA Europa Conference League first knockout round gets underway on 16 February, with the return legs a week later. The 8 group runners-up will take on a Europa League drop-out, all aiming to join the 8 group winners in next month’s round of 16.
Last season’s knockout round play-offs featured 48 goals, an average of six per tie, so expect more excitement this year too.
📰 Table Of Contents
Braga vs Fiorentina
Without doubt, the tie of the round in the Europa Conference League sees the 2011 Europa League Finalists take on the 1961 Cup Winners’ Cup champions.
Braga accumulated ten points in their Europa League group, but still dropped down to this competition, ending up below Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Union Berlin.
Since the World Cup break, Artur Jorge’s team have generally been in excellent form domestically, sat third in the Primeira Liga, and they’ve knocked Benfica out of the Taça de Portugal.
So, the Archbishops come into this one as favourites.
Vincenzo Italiano’s team did end the group phase with four successive wins, but were pipped to top spot by İstanbul Başakşehir on head-to-head.
So, the Portuguese side will be looking to establish a healthy first leg advantage at Estádio Municipal de Braga.
Lazio vs CFR Cluj
On paper, this tie may look like a foregone conclusion, although recent meetings between the two would suggest otherwise.
As recently as 2019, CFR Cluj eliminated Lazio in the Europa League group stages, winning 2-1 in Transylvania, before an ultimately inconsequential 1-0 defeat at Stadio Olimpico.
Nevertheless, this time, I Biancocelesti are firm favourites to prevail, despite finishing third in a Europa League group again, this time below Feyenoord and Midtjylland.
Uniquely though, all four teams in that group, Sturm Graz being the other, ended up on eight points, with goal difference used to separate all clubs.
Now dropping down into this competition, Maurizio Sarri’s side have to be amongst the favourites to go all the way.
CFR Cluj have already caused a bit of an upset in the group phase, ousting Slavia Praha by beating the Czech side home and away.
However, the Romanian champions have never won a match in the knockout phase, and have lost their last four visits to Italy.
So, Lazio are overwhelming favourites to get through.
Trabzonspor vs Basel
Will Turkish champions Trabzonspor win a game in the knockout phase for the first time in the modern era?
Abdullah Avcı’s team won all three Europa League home games but lost all three away, so finished third, below Ferencváros and Monaco.
In the Süper Lig, the defence of their title isn’t going to plan, sat sixth, 16 points below leaders Galatasaray.
Over in the Swiss Super League, Basel are all the way down in sixth, 20 points adrift BSC Young Boys, not looking likely to claim their first time since 2017 any time soon.
RotBlau came through three rounds of qualifying and then lost just once in the group phase, but sacked Head Coach Alexander Frei earlier this month.
Given Basel’s shambolic form, Trabzonspor should ease through.
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Anderlecht
Anderlecht have won five major European trophies in their illustrious history, so will they enjoy an extended run in this competition?
The Purple and Whites were beaten home and away by West Ham in the group phase, but accumulated eight points from their other four games, so had more than enough to advance.
Domestically though, Brian Riemer’s team are all the way down 10th, so do Ludogorets come into this tie as favourites?
The 11 in-a-row Bulgarian champions did beat Roma at home in September, but only won once after that, so had to settle for third in their Europa League section.
The Eagles have only ever won one tie in the knockout phase before, beating Lazio a decade ago, so Ante Šimundža’s side can make history.
If Ludogorets are going to get through, one feels they’ll need to win this first leg at Huvepharma Arena.
Bodø/Glimt vs Lech Poznań
Bodø/Glimt made a name for themselves in European competition last season, so how far will they go this time?
Just last year, the Yellow Horde made their debut in a UEFA group, getting all the way to the quarter-finals of this competition, playing 20 games in total, before bowing out against Roma.
This season, they featured in the Europa League group phase, but won only once, so dropped back into this tournament.
Kjetil Knutsen’s team have won 14 of their last 16 European home games, only beaten by Arsenal and PSV in this period, and will be confident of a victory in this first leg too.
Lech Poznań meanwhile won their first Polish title for seven seasons last year, but are currently third in the Ekstraklasa.
In Europe, the Railwaymen have reached the knockout phase for the first time since 2011, ousting Austria Wien and Hapoel Be’er Sheva in their group.
Lech are winless in ten European away games, so don’t be surprised if Bodø/Glimt establish an unassailable lead in the Arctic Circle.
FC Sheriff Tiraspol vs Partizan Belgrade
Can FC Sheriff Tiraspol become the first Moldovan club to win a match in the knockout phase?
Last season, they qualified for the Champions League for the first time ever, notably beating Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
This time round, the Yellow-Blacks competed at Europa League level, losing both matches against Manchester United and Real Sociedad, but beat Omonia home and away to take third.
In this tie, if the Divizia Națională champions are going to get through, the first leg in Transnistria feels must win.
Partizan Belgrade meantime took second spot in their Europa Conference League group, finishing below Nice, but above Bundesliga side Köln.
The Serbian giants beat Sparta Prague in this round 12 months ago, and are slight-favourites to come through this two-legged affair.
AEK Larnaca vs Dnipro-1
These two clubs have already met this season, with AEK Larnaca prevailing 5-1 in the Europa League play-off round.
In short, the Cypriot side will be confident of a repeat victory.
AEK Larnaca finished above Ukrainian opposition, namely Dynamo Kyiv, in the Europa League group stage, their sole victory coming when those two met in Kraków.
So, this is the Green-Yellows’ first-ever appearance in a knockout phase, confident of getting even further.
Meanwhile, given that this is their first-ever European campaign, and the fact they have to play ‘home’ matches in Košice, Dnipro-1 have done very well to get this far.
The Ukrainian side did beat Cypriot champions Apollon Limassol home and away in the autumn, so will now believe they can take out the Cypriot league-leaders.
It’s unlikely to be as emphatic as their 5-1 success in August, but AEK Larnaca are favourites to advance.
Qarabağ vs Gent
Gent will travel over 2,300 miles for this first leg in Azerbaijan, hoping the trip proves to be worth their while.
De Buffalo’s finished second in their Europa Conference League group, below surprise-package Djurgårdens IF but above Molde and Shamrock Rovers.
However, Gent have lost 11 of their last 16 European away games so, if they are to advance, it might require a comeback in Belgium.
Qarabağ meantime have dropped down from the Europa League, finishing above Olympiacos in their group.
Gurban Gurbanov’s team have lost only one of 14 European fixture in Bakı since the start of last season, so will be confident of a first leg win, even if Gent are expected to advance in the end.
