UEFA Europa Conference League - Alkmaar, Legia and Zrinjski

[edgysatsuma89]

I have plotted and forecast its Poland, Croatia, Romanian , or outside chance for Cyprus.
If it's not there I understand its a tie v Scotland, Norway, Vienna or Turkey,  Holland or Spain.
That's on percentage calls.

What formula have you used to calculate this?

They chucked down some asparagus and analysed how they landed. I wish that wasn't a thing but I remember seeing it on TV once.

[Olneythelonely]

I have plotted and forecast its Poland, Croatia, Romanian , or outside chance for Cyprus.
If it's not there I understand its a tie v Scotland, Norway, Vienna or Turkey,  Holland or Spain.
That's on percentage calls.

I also think it will be against a team from a European country.

[tomd2103]

So who would we most want to avoid in the unseeded lot?

Really would prefer a very straightforward tie in the qualification round that we could preferably finish off in the first leg and then some decent opposition in the group stage. 

[Dave P]

I have plotted and forecast its Poland, Croatia, Romanian , or outside chance for Cyprus.
If it's not there I understand its a tie v Scotland, Norway, Vienna or Turkey,  Holland or Spain.
That's on percentage calls.

What formula have you used to calculate this?

Mushrooms

[ADVILLAFAN]

I have plotted and forecast its Poland, Croatia, Romanian , or outside chance for Cyprus.
If it's not there I understand its a tie v Scotland, Norway, Vienna or Turkey,  Holland or Spain.
That's on percentage calls.

I also think it will be against a team from a European country.

Depends on your definition of Europe. Israel, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan all had teams in the competition for example.

[algy]

I have plotted and forecast its Poland, Croatia, Romanian , or outside chance for Cyprus.
If it's not there I understand its a tie v Scotland, Norway, Vienna or Turkey,  Holland or Spain.
That's on percentage calls.

I also think it will be against a team from a European country.

Think my old geography teacher would disagree about Israel or Kazakhstan being in Europe...

[Gareth]

From uefa.com

Play-offs – Champions path

Time: 14:00 CET

Number of teams involved: 10 (5 through the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round champions path and 5 through the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round champions path)

Number of seeded teams: 5

Number of matches: 2 x 5

Matchdays: 24 and 31 August 2023

Kick-off times to be announced by: 11 August 2023 (first and second legs)

Conditions of the draw

In accordance with paragraphs 13.05 and 13.06 of the Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24, the UEFA administration forms groups and seeds clubs for the play-off draw based on their entry stage in the competition. The clubs entering from the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League are seeded above the clubs that progress from the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path.

The ten teams (the five winners of the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round champions path ties, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Winners of Matches 1 to 5, and the five teams that enter through the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League champions path, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Match 1 to 5) are divided into one group of four teams (Group 1) and one group of six teams (Group 2).

Within each of the two groups, the teams are divided into an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams.

As decided by the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina cannot be drawn against each other.

Any changes of date and fixture reversals will be communicated in writing to the clubs and national associations tomorrow, 8 August, by 18:00 CET.

Groupings

Group 1

Match 1: FK Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU) / BK Häcken (SWE)
Match 2: FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) / FC BATE Borisov (BLR)
Winners of match 1: Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT) / Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Winners of match 2: FC Ballkani (KOS) / Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB)

Group 2

Match 3: HŠK Zrinjski (BIH) / Breidablik (ISL)
Match 4: Qarabağ FK (AZE) / HJK Helsinki (FIN)
Match 5: FC Astana (KAZ) / PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
Winners of match 3: Valmiera FC (LVA) / FK Partizani (ALB)
Winners of match 4: FCV Farul Constanța (ROU) / FC Flora Tallinn (EST)
Winners of match 5: FC Struga (MKD) / FC Swift Hesper (LUX)

Draw procedure

Starting with Group 1, three bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls representing the seeded and unseeded teams of the group placed in the corresponding marked bowls.

One ball is taken from each bowl and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they are shuffled. The first team drawn from this bowl will play their first match at home against the second team drawn.

The same procedure is carried out with the remaining balls to complete all the pairings for Group 1.

The procedure is then repeated to determine the pairings for Group 2.

Play-offs – Main path

Time: 14:10 CET

Number of teams involved: 34 (5 directly, 27 through the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round main path and 2 through the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round main path)

Number of seeded teams: 17

Number of matches: 2 x 17

Matchdays: 24 and 31 August 2023

Kick-off times to be announced by: 11 August 2023 (first and second legs)

Conditions of the draw

In accordance with paragraphs 13.03 and 13.04 of the Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24, the UEFA administration seeds clubs for the play-off draw based on the club rankings established at the beginning of the season and the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

The 34 teams (five that enter the competition at this stage, 27 that enter through the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League main path and two that enter through the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round main path) are divided into three groups of eight teams (Groups 1 to 3) and one group of ten teams (Group 4).

Within each of the four groups, the teams are divided into an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams.

Teams from the same association must not be drawn against each other.

If any club in a third qualifying round match has a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the play-off draw, the winner of that match is automatically seeded for the draw.

Any changes of date and fixture reversals will be communicated in writing to the clubs and national associations tomorrow, 8 August, by 18:00 CET.

Groupings

Group 1

1: Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
2: Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) / NK Maribor (SVN)
3: Omonoia FC (CYP) / FC Midtjylland (DEN)
4: FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR) / FC Pyunik (ARM)
5: Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR) / PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)
6: FC Twente (NED) / Riga FC (LVA)
7: Legia Warszawa (POL) / FK Austria Wien (AUT)
8: Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe (ROU) / FC Aktobe (KAZ)

Group 2

1: KAA Gent (BEL) / MKS Pogoń Szczecin (POL)
2: Aris Thessaloniki FC (GRE) / FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
3: LOSC Lille (FRA)
4: FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) / Gzira United FC (MLT)
5: FC Dila Gori (GEO) / APOEL FC (CYP)
6: Beşiktaş JK (TUR) / Neftçi PFK (AZE)
7: B36 Tórshavn (FRO) / HNK Rijeka (CRO)
8: FC Tobol Kostanay (KAZ) / Derry City FC (IRL)

Group 3

1: SK Slavia Praha (CZE) / SC Dnipro-1 (UKR)
2: FC Santa Coloma (AND) / AZ Alkmaar (NED)
3: Olympiacos FC (GRE) / KRC Genk (BEL)
4: Aston Villa FC (ENG)
5: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) / FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
6: FC Arouca (POR) / SK Brann (NOR)
7: Adana Demirspor (TUR) / NK Osijek (CRO)
8: Hibernian FC (SCO) / FC Luzern (SUI)

Group 4

1: Club Brugge (BEL) / KA Akureyri (ISL)
2: Sabah (AZE) / FK Partizan (SRB)
3: HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) / PAOK FC (GRE)
4: AEK Larnaca FC (CYP) / Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
5: ACF Fiorentina (ITA)
6: CA Osasuna (ESP)
7: SK Rapid Wien (AUT) / Debreceni VSC (HUN)
8: Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) / FC Nordsjælland (DEN)
9: Rosenborg BK (NOR) / Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO)
10: NK Celje (SVN) / FC Neman Grodno (BLR)

Draw procedure

Groups 1 to 3

All the clubs in each of the three groups are randomly assigned a number: 1 to 4 for the seeded teams and 5 to 8 for the unseeded teams.

Three bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the numbers for the seeded and unseeded teams for Groups 1 to 3 placed in the correspondingly marked bowls.

One ball is taken from each of those bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they are shuffled. The number shown from the first ball drawn from this bowl indicates the home teams of the first pairing of all three groups, and they will play against the teams indicated by the number of the ball drawn second from this bowl.

For example, if the first ball drawn contains the number 2 and the second the number 8, the clubs that have been assigned the numbers 2 and 8 in each of the three groups will play each other. The first ball drawn, here containing the number 2, designates the home team for the first leg in all three ties.

The same procedure is carried out with the remaining balls to complete the pairings of these three groups.

Group 4

The procedure for this group is exactly the same as above, with the only difference being that the seeded teams are assigned numbers 1 to 5 and the unseeded teams assigned numbers 6 to 10.

[Footy-Vill]

I have plotted and forecast its Poland, Croatia, Romanian , or outside chance for Cyprus.
If it's not there I understand its a tie v Scotland, Norway, Vienna or Turkey,  Holland or Spain.
That's on percentage calls.

I also think it will be against a team from a European country.

Depends on your definition of Europe. Israel, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan all had teams in the competition for example.

Well I've done the math.
Yes I've discounted Georgia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Czechs, Slovenia as possibilities and unlikely to be contending.
So I have ruled them out being opponents.

I would also rule out the teams from nations Luxembourg, Estonia, Gibraltar, Malta  through their ties.

Israel is certainly a possible Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan too
 but my theory points elsewhere though I expect at least one of these nations to qualify

Expected opponents:
Certainly I say if it's not a match  v Rapid Vienna then let us see its a tie like an Rosenborg, Osasuna, Twente, Besiktas, FCSB (FC Steaua București) Ferencvaros Rather than unheard ofs like Tobol Kustanai  of Kazakhstan who I see beating Derry City.

[AV82EC]

So it’s one of this lot.

1: SK Slavia Praha (CZE) / SC Dnipro-1 (UKR)
2: FC Santa Coloma (AND) / AZ Alkmaar (NED)
3: Olympiacos FC (GRE) / KRC Genk (BEL)
4: Aston Villa FC (ENG)
5: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) / FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
6: FC Arouca (POR) / SK Brann (NOR)
7: Adana Demirspor (TUR) / NK Osijek (CRO)
8: Hibernian FC (SCO) / FC Luzern (SUI)

[Meanwood Villa]

The Rapid curse has been avoided

[Meanwood Villa]

Think I'd rather not a Turkish or Portuguese team,  based on relative strength of their leagues.

Although I note Scottish and Swiss leagues have higher coefficient than Turkey so maybe I'm talking bollocks.

[Dogtanian]

I would like Hibs.

[Grande Pablo]

So it’s one of this lot.

1: SK Slavia Praha (CZE) / SC Dnipro-1 (UKR)
2: FC Santa Coloma (AND) / AZ Alkmaar (NED)
3: Olympiacos FC (GRE) / KRC Genk (BEL)
4: Aston Villa FC (ENG)
5: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) / FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
6: FC Arouca (POR) / SK Brann (NOR)
7: Adana Demirspor (TUR) / NK Osijek (CRO)
8: Hibernian FC (SCO) / FC Luzern (SUI)

As the seeded teams are 1-4, you can hone it down to one of this lot:

5: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) / FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
6: FC Arouca (POR) / SK Brann (NOR)
7: Adana Demirspor (TUR) / NK Osijek (CRO)
8: Hibernian FC (SCO) / FC Luzern (SUI)

[AV82EC]

So it’s one of this lot.

1: SK Slavia Praha (CZE) / SC Dnipro-1 (UKR)
2: FC Santa Coloma (AND) / AZ Alkmaar (NED)
3: Olympiacos FC (GRE) / KRC Genk (BEL)
4: Aston Villa FC (ENG)
5: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) / FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
6: FC Arouca (POR) / SK Brann (NOR)
7: Adana Demirspor (TUR) / NK Osijek (CRO)
8: Hibernian FC (SCO) / FC Luzern (SUI)

As the seeded teams are 1-4, you can hone it down to one of this lot:

5: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) / FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
6: FC Arouca (POR) / SK Brann (NOR)
7: Adana Demirspor (TUR) / NK Osijek (CRO)
8: Hibernian FC (SCO) / FC Luzern (SUI)

Thanks GP, had forgotten that bit!!

[Dave P]

I’m on holiday in Albuferia for the first leg so I’ve just googled Arouca. It’s like being on holiday in Cornwall and playing Newcastle.