UEFA Conference League Matchday 2: What to look out for

Strasbourg and Crystal Palace are looking to take their domestic successes to a new level, while Celje's Franko Kovačević is striking gold as UEFA Conference League Matchday 2 approaches.

All kick-off times 21:00 CET unless stated

Thursday 23 October 2025
AEK Athens vs Aberdeen (18:45)
Häcken vs Rayo Vallecano (18:45)
Breidablik vs KuPS Kuopio (18:45)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Legia Warszawa (18:45)
Drita vs Omonoia (18:45)
Rijeka vs Sparta Praha (18:45)
Shkëndija vs Shelbourne (18:45)
Strasbourg vs Jagiellonia Białystok (18:45)
SK Rapid vs Fiorentina (18:45)
Mainz vs Zrinjski
AZ Alkmaar vs Slovan Bratislava (18:45)
Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
Hamrun Spartans vs Lausanne-Sport
Lincoln Red Imps vs Lech Poznań
Samsunspor vs Dynamo Kyiv
Shamrock Rovers vs Celje
Sigma Olomouc vs Raków
Universitatea Craiova vs Noah

Strasbourg back in business

It was 2005/06 when Strasbourg last competed in a UEFA league phase, and plenty has happened since then, the 1978/79 French champions sinking as low as the fifth tier in 2011/12 before climbing back up to Ligue 1 in 2016/17. A seventh-placed finish last season under new English coach Liam Rosenior earned them a return to Europe and they overcame Brøndby in the qualifying play-offs to make it to the league phase.

This week they welcome Jagiellonia looking to build on a 2-1 win at Slovan Bratislava on Matchday 1, a performance which showed Rosenior some of his side's strengths and limitations. "This will allow us to learn and improve," he said. "I believe in this squad." Their domestic league position suggests the coach's faith is not misplaced. Keep an eye out for the club's crop of talented young players, including Valentin Barco, Guela Doué, Emanuel Emegha, Diego Moreira, Abdoul Ouattara and Kendry Páez.

Palace ready for London first

Selhurst Park stages the first league phase game in south London when AEK Larnaca come to visit Crystal Palace. The SE25 club's 2-0 win against Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 1 extended Palace's record unbeaten run to 19 games, and though they lost their next Premier League game, Oliver Glasner's side are a force in English football this season. Defender Marc Guéhi and goalkeeper Dean Henderson are England squad regulars, while forward Jean-Philippe Mateta's form earned him a first France call-up.

As with the bulk of the English capital's tube system, most of London's major football clubs are north of the River Thames. Thus far, over 500 UEFA men's club competition games have been played in the English capital; prior to Palace's return to Europe season in this season's Conference League play-offs, only two of them had been played south of the river: Palace's 2-0 loss to Samsunspor in the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup and Millwall's 1-1 draw with Ferencváros in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup first round.

'GOLačević' has Celje purring

Spanish coach Albert Riera was worried his Celje side were a little reckless in their 3-1 win against AEK Athens on Matchday 1, telling reporters: "It's fine to drive a Ferrari very fast sometimes, but with that kind of driving, an accident can happen." The Slovenian champions have been able to afford to run a little wild this season thanks to star forward Franko Kovačević, who scored the first hat-trick of the new Conference League on Matchday 1.

Croatian 'GOLačević', as he has been nicknamed in some quarters, is enjoying a stunning start to the season. The 26-year-old returned to Europe this summer following a spell in Korea, and that treble against AEK took him to 20 goals for the campaign – two more even than Bayern's Harry Kane has managed this term. Celje sneaked into the Conference League knockout phase play-offs last season with seven points, but as they visit Shamrock Rovers, Riera is aiming higher. "Seven points will not be enough this time," he said. "We want more."