The Conference League will see some exciting fixtures played on Thursday night in the last-16 second leg.
Some big teams have the chance to progress to the next round. Which of the four teams below will reach the quarterfinals?
Fenerbahce went to Belgium and thumped Union St. Gilloise in the first leg 3-0. Now, the Turkish giants will host Union in Istanbul with the chance to put the tie to bed early.
Fenerbahce are in good form at home going into the second leg. They are unbeaten in their last 11 matches played at home, making this a difficult task for Union. Fener claimed a 4-1 win over Pendikspor at the weekend.
The Belgian club won’t be afraid of playing away in a hostile environment. Union St. Gilloise won their last three away matches. However, they didn’t come up against the likes of Fenerbahce during that time. Union drew 1-1 with Gent at home at the weekend.
Norwegian club Molde FK defeated Club Brugge 2-1 at home in the teams’ first leg last-16. The result was a surprise due to Club Brugge being one of the biggest clubs in Belgium. Molde have not played a domestic match in 2024 due to the Eliteserien being in the close season.
Club Brugge are blowing hot and cold currently. The team won two of their last six games. The Blue and Blacks did win at the weekend, defeating Oud-Heverlee 3-1 at home.
Molde may not have the fitness or stamina of Brugge, but they will see this as the perfect opportunity to reach the last eight of the Conference League. Although the club sold several key players in the offseason, Molde have rebuilt with strong additions, including Casper Oyvann.
Lille will be heavy favourites to defeat Austria’s Sturm Graz in their second leg fixture. Les Dogues won 3-0 in the first leg and can ease into the last eight. This will be the clubs’ second meeting in Europe.
Sturm Graz could only draw 1-1 at the weekend domestically against Hartberg. The Austrians won three of their last six games but are coming up against a far stronger side in Lille.
Les Dogues went unbeaten in their last three games in all competitions. They followed up last week’s win in Austria with a 2-2 draw against Rennes. Lille went unbeaten in four of their last five games in all competitions and scored 10 goals.
Fiorentina and Maccabi Haifa’s second-leg match is finely poised, with just one goal separating the two teams. La Viola won the first leg away from home by a score of 4-3. Can the Italians hold on in Florence?
Maccabi are on a two-game losing streak, as they followed up the loss to Fiorentina with a 2-1 loss to Bney Reine at the weekend in the Israeli Premier League. Maccabi Haifa’s defence has suddenly bled goals, conceding six in the last two games.
Fiorentina went unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions. At the weekend, Fiorentina drew 2-2 with a very difficult Roma team. La Viola have suddenly come to life in front of goal, with six goals in the last two games.