What to look out for on UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 4
Thursday, November 9, 2023
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Viktoria Plzeň, PAOK and Fenerbahçe all defend perfect records in the fourth round of group games, when Aston Villa, Fiorentina and Eintracht Frankfurt will look to hit the heights again.
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Will the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage's biggest sides keep impressing on Matchday 4, and who will win the race to book their place in the spring phase of the competition?
In this piece presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, we pick out some key talking points ahead of the fourth round of group stage fixtures. Remember: Every mission matters.
Thursday 9 November
Group A: Slovan Bratislava vs LOSC Lille (21:00), Olimpija Ljubljana vs KÍ Klaksvík (21:00)
Group B: Breidablik vs Gent (21:00), Zorya Luhansk vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (21:00)
Group C: Astana vs Ballkani (16:30), Viktoria Plzeň vs Dinamo Zagreb (18:45)
Group D: Beşiktaş vs Bodø/Glimt (18:45), Club Brugge vs Lugano (21:00)
Group E: Legia Warszawa vs Zrinjski (18:45), Aston Villa vs AZ Alkmaar (21:00)
Group F: Ferencváros vs Genk (18:45), Čukarički vs Fiorentina (18:45)
Group G: PAOK vs Aberdeen (18:45), HJK Helsinki vs Frankfurt (18:45)
Group H: Nordsjælland vs Spartak Trnava (18:45), Ludogorets vs Fenerbahçe (21:00)
How qualifying for the knockouts works
The eight group winners automatically go through to the last 16. Additional knockout round play-offs will then be played before the round of 16, pitching the eight group runners-up against the third-ranked teams from the UEFA Europa League groups.
What to look out for
Goal rush for Villa, Fiorentina and Frankfurt
Sides from three of the four top-ranked domestic leagues in UEFA competition feature in this season's group stage, and Villa, Fiorentina and Eintracht Frankfurt threw their weight about in no uncertain terms on Matchday 3, scoring 16 goals between them: six each for Fiorentina and Frankfurt and four for Villa, who cut loose at AZ Alkmaar after a nervy start to their campaign.
The Viola and Eintracht are away this time out (against Čukarički and HJK respectively), while Villa welcome AZ, whose defender David Møller-Wolfe said of the English side: "I've never played against such a good team." Unai Emery will hope that his side can keep up that good impression at Villa Park. As the Spanish coach put it: "If we want to be a contender, we have to show that every day."
PAOK closing in on next step
With this season's campaign concluding at the AEK Arena in Athens, it could be that the first club to confirm their place in the next phase is Greek. PAOK are one of only three sides to have won their opening three games, along with Viktoria Plzeň and Fenerbahçe, having come from 2-0 down to earn a 3-2 win against Aberdeen on Matchday 3. "In the second half things went crazy for ten minutes," coach Răzvan Lucescu explained. "We kept believing and we made it."
A home win against the Dons this time out would most likely seal a top-two finish in Group G for the Salonika side who are making waves, having now won their last six UEFA club competition games. Stefan Schwab scored their winner from the spot in Scotland, but look out for exciting winger Ioannis Konstantelias, who hit the post at Pittodrie after a Lionel Messi-style weave through the Aberdeen defence.
Plzeň and Fenerbahçe in sight of qualifying
Viktoria Plzeň have shown ambition, determination and skill to come this far with a 100% record despite only four goals scored, and a win at home against Dinamo Zagreb next time out could take the Czech side to the next phase of the competition too. "We knew that these were not easy groups and that every point would be important," said their coach Miroslav Koubek. "But it turns out that we have three wins after three games."
Fenerbahçe are in a similar situation, and could well qualify with a win at Ludogorets on Matchday 4. They beat the Bulgarian side 3-1 in Istanbul last time out, but coach Ismail Kartal saw enough to know they will not have an easy time in the return fixture: "I told you before the match, Ludogorets are a good team with good players," he said.
When are the remaining Europa Conference League group stage games?
Matchday 5: 30 November 2023
Matchday 6: 14 December 2023
Further ahead
• Fiorentina drew their opening two games 2-2, against Genk and Ferencváros, and will expect another close-run thing as they welcome the Belgian side on Matchday 5. Something has to give the top three in Group F are level on five points going into Matchday 4, but only two of them can qualify.
• Elsewhere on Matchday 5, Aston Villa may be able to qualify if they can avenge their 3-2 defeat at Legia Warszawa from the opening night of the group stage. "We are very disappointed with a result like this," Villa's Polish international midfielder Matty Cash told UEFA.com at full time.
• Group D is shaping up to be a close one, with Club Brugge top going into Matchday 4 and Beşiktaş bottom, having somewhat surprisingly taken just one point from their opening three games. Expect there to be plenty to play for on Matchday 6, when Club Brugge welcome Bodø/Glimt and Lugano host Beşiktaş.
Where is the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final being played?
The 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League season is set to conclude at the AEK Arena in Athens, Greece, on Wednesday 29 May 2024.
Opened in September 2022, the new stadium stands on the site of the Nikos Goumas Stadium, which had been home to AEK Athens since 1930 but sustained serious damage during an earthquake in 1999. With a capacity of over 30,000, the new stadium in the north-western suburb of Nea Filadelfia stages Greece international home games as well as AEK matches.