2023-24 Europa Conference League: 3rd qualifying round

[bugylibicska]

CRO teams have awesome draw. Two beatable opponents giving seeded status in Q4 + joke draw for Rijeka.

All 4 are beatable opponents. Although, Dinamo could have drawn much more beatable opponents in Ludogorets or Aris Limassol?BATE instead of drawing the hardest in the group AEK. Hajduk were put into a nightmarish group already, only better option seemed Guimaraes, because AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK. That's anything, but an awesome draw.

[Club-Mate]

Basel - the longer the travel the easier their opponents.
Hajduk needs a final breakthrough after all these devastating years in the past and Panathinaikos feels certainly saver in Basketball than in Football.
Debrecen"s opponent looks more frightening than it really is and PSV should not celebrate too early.

[anty1975]

isn't Nordsjaelland much better? They gived a serious fight in winning the title last months while Midtjylland was in playout and are in Europe just because winned one game vs 4th placed Viborg

They were better last season but since then lost several important players, may be also talented young striker Nuamah will be sold. Midtjylland on the other hand should improve this season with a new coach Thomas Thomasberg. They are a bigger club with bigger budget than Nordsjaelland.

[wannabeontop]

Too much to digest, need a few days to chew on it. I now say only that after the 3rd round no Magyar teams left, unless Fradi will be resurrected.

We are good but we're also so bad!

[AnelZ]

So Besiktas if we pass Neftchi. If we managed to play QR3, I expect an aggregate win of at least 4 goals difference for Besiktas.

[matt]

But that mix-up of seeded and unseeded spots with this early draw today just showed that they should either just draw a tournament tree at the start, or would need more weeks with a week of in between (= fewer teams in qualifying, or more spots in the group phase) or just need another reform of some sort. To me, this sharade has way more to do with the luck of the draw than sports. And it makes everyone nervous. But well...

You say this every single time, all Basel had to do was to finish 3rd to have a group stage spot assured, or finish 6th and not qualify at all.

[hertolo]

You say this every single time, all Basel had to do was to finish 3rd to have a group stage spot assured, or finish 6th and not qualify at all.

Ceterum Censeo You have to repeat your message. Seems like I succeed in this forum. (okay, I'll stop).

But yes, we were abysmal last year nationally and only just saved ourselves, so the long trips are our own fault. That's true. But that's also just how football works. Nothing is for sure and you have cycles, I just hope we can finally get ourselves out of the Conference League now. Are we the team with the most played matches already?

[TommyChat]

CRO teams have awesome draw. Two beatable opponents giving seeded status in Q4 + joke draw for Rijeka.

All 4 are beatable opponents. Although, Dinamo could have drawn much more beatable opponents in Ludogorets or Aris Limassol?BATE instead of drawing the hardest in the group AEK. Hajduk were put into a nightmarish group already, only better option seemed Guimaraes, because AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK. That's anything, but an awesome draw.

AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK?? PAOK finished 4th last season after years of finishing in top 2 for reasons for us watching Greek football, they are weakened from what they were.

[babaluj1]

CRO teams have awesome draw. Two beatable opponents giving seeded status in Q4 + joke draw for Rijeka.

All 4 are beatable opponents. Although, Dinamo could have drawn much more beatable opponents in Ludogorets or Aris Limassol?BATE instead of drawing the hardest in the group AEK. Hajduk were put into a nightmarish group already, only better option seemed Guimaraes, because AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK. That's anything, but an awesome draw.

Croatian clubs have an average draw. Dinamo is not performing well and will probably be relegated by AEK. Hajduk and PAOK could be uncertain, I would say 50-50. Osijek is not without chances against the Turks, but the Turks are the favorites. Only Rijeka has an excellent draw. The Turkish and Greek leagues are stronger than the Croatian league and we usually lose to them, it would be much better to play with some Scandinavians.

[bugylibicska]

Too much to digest, need a few days to chew on it. I now say only that after the 3rd round no Magyar teams left, unless Fradi will be resurrected.

We are good but we're also so bad!

I give Debrecen some chance against Rapid. They're not as good as their famous name suggests and Debrecen have experience in Europe. Still underdogs, but not as hopeless as Kecskemet against Twente or Zalaegerszeg against Adana Demirspor would be if they make through the 2nd round at all. In Zalaegeszeg's case I doubt it, Osijek are favourites against them.

[bugylibicska]

CRO teams have awesome draw. Two beatable opponents giving seeded status in Q4 + joke draw for Rijeka.

All 4 are beatable opponents. Although, Dinamo could have drawn much more beatable opponents in Ludogorets or Aris Limassol?BATE instead of drawing the hardest in the group AEK. Hajduk were put into a nightmarish group already, only better option seemed Guimaraes, because AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK. That's anything, but an awesome draw.

AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK?? PAOK finished 4th last season after years of finishing in top 2 for reasons for us watching Greek football, they are weakened from what they were.

Yes, about the same strength in my mind, but I could be wrong of course.

[matt]

I just hope we can finally get ourselves out of the Conference League now. Are we the team with the most played matches already?

Maybe the second, after AZ.

Edit: no, Basel played more games (34) in two seasons than AZ and i think more than everyone else indeed.

[Onuachu]

Possible opponents for Cyprus if we manage to get some teams through to next round.

Gabala SC (AZE) / Omonoia FC (CYP) vs FC Midtjylland (DEN) / FC Progrès Niederkorn (LUX)

The Danish Nr7 from last season are probably massive
favourites againg Progrés. Would be a fun tie, 50/50 in my book.

50/50? No way. I think it was the worst draw for us, because of our troubles in the Cyprus heat in earlier years, but still should be firm favourites.
More like 60-40. At least.

Last season was horrible in the league. It was a team in chaos with 4 different coaches in total (1 was caretaker), but in the end of the season it got way better. We have a great coach now and the squad have been strengthened in offseason, without any notable outgoings. Yet.

Btw. would have finished higher than seventh, if the league didn't split in half early spring.


Good draw for Nordsjælland and they should be ready for the playoff. Hopefully they kan keep Nuamah until after those playoff games.

Aarhus also with a good draw, if they somehow make it through Brügge.

[TommyChat]

All 4 are beatable opponents. Although, Dinamo could have drawn much more beatable opponents in Ludogorets or Aris Limassol?BATE instead of drawing the hardest in the group AEK. Hajduk were put into a nightmarish group already, only better option seemed Guimaraes, because AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK. That's anything, but an awesome draw.

AZ or Besiktas equally dangerous to PAOK?? PAOK finished 4th last season after years of finishing in top 2 for reasons for us watching Greek football, they are weakened from what they were.

Yes, about the same strength in my mind, but I could be wrong of course.

BTW Greeks are also disgusted by the draw. Media and fans are saying that all 4 (AEK, PAOK, Panathinaikos and Aris) got the worst possible draws from their subgroups and especially name Hajduk Split as the best unseeded out of the 27 clubs/pairings. Aris fans have mixed fillings because of the war and the seeded Q4 status and are more afraid of Mircea Lucescu than Dinamo Kiev's name.

There are also worries for clashes between fans in potential AEK - Dinamo Zagreb, Pana - Marseille and both PAOK games against Beitar and Hajduk.

Anyway even if Dinamo Zagreb, Pana, PAOK, and Aris are considered favourites to heavy favourites in their Q2 ties I suspect that one of them will fail there

[abzpablo]

CSKA 1948 Sofia vs FCSB - interesting current day versions of two clubs who were often in the latter stages of European football when I was growing up !

For the Scottish clubs in at this stage (namely the Edinburgh duo) - both could have got worse draws. For Hearts, Rosenborg are not the force they were 20 years back, and were even knocked out by St Johnstone a decade back.

Hibs could also face a side knocked out by St Johnstone recently in Luzern - and maybe that would be preferable to a Swedish side in mid-season in Djurgaarden, considering their last experience against Swedish opponents !