UEFA Conference League PREVIEW 27 Aug 2026: Twenty-three second legs, and Escaldes are ninety minutes from a first for Andorra

Twenty-three second legs decide the Conference League league phase on Thursday, and the one carrying the most history is in Encamp. Inter Club d'Escaldes drew 2-2 away at Drita through Domi Berlanga and David Lopez, and no Andorran club has ever reached the league phase of this competition. Felip Ortiz is not hiding from it: "We're one match away from making history", he said, and "we are a brave team that doesn't speculate. We'll try to do the same and not change our style." Ardian Nuhiu wants more from the Kosovan champions: "We must increase our aggression in the return match to secure qualification."

Four British and Irish sides are still in. Rangers take a Ryan Naderi goal to Jablonec but go without Cameron Devlin, sent off in the first leg, and Derek McInnes called his team "a work in progress" that needs "more composure and a wee bit more poise". Hibernian and Gent finished goalless in Ghent, where Davy Roef saved a penalty from Owen Elding, and Rik De Mil expects "the details will be decisive" at Easter Road. Motherwell lost 1-3 at home to Freiburg, Regan Charles-Cook scoring inside two minutes before Matthias Ginter twice and Keisuke Goto replied, and they finished with ten men after Martin Moormann's dismissal; some 1,500 of their supporters are expected at the Europa-Park-Stadion, where Julian Schuster is wary despite the lead: "Football keeps writing unexpected stories, so we are fully warned." Shamrock Rovers drew 1-1 at home with KuPS, Stevens scoring before Piotr Parzyszek levelled late, and go to Kuopio with Naj Razi, Victor Ozhianvuna and Danny Mandroiu all out. Stephen Bradley is unmoved: "We don't react to results. Our performances in Europe this year have been some of the best we've ever had." Larne carry a 2-0 lead from Gibraltar back to Inver Park, Paul O'Neill and Kevin O'Hara having scored late against ten-man Lincoln Red Imps. Brighton and Hove Albion drew 0-0 in the Arctic and host Tromso without Kaoru Mitoma, Stefanos Tzimas and Evan Ferguson.

Two of the ties are not being played where the fixture list suggests. Hapoel Tel Aviv host Atalanta in Miskolc, Hungary after a goalless first leg in Bergamo, with Maurizio Sarri having questioned his side's courage on his competitive debut; Isak Hien, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Thomas Kristensen and Honest Ahanor are all unavailable. Maccabi Tel Aviv host Lugano in Batumi, Georgia, a goal down after Kevin Behrens and Anto Grgic scored either side of Ido Shahar's reply. Mattia Croci-Torti found the neutral ground a shame -- "it's always somewhat disappointing to play in such a beautiful arena with so little crowd" -- and the humidity worse. Kenny Miller says his players understand what is at stake.

The favourites mostly did their work a week ago. Ajax Amsterdam won 4-2 at Sion through Julian Brandt, Marcos Leonardo, Tolu Arokodare and Davy Klaassen, and are without Daley Blind and Maher Carrizo. Monaco beat Gornik Zabrze 3-2 in Zabrze through Mika Biereth, Lamine Camara and Paris Brunner. Getafe beat Partizan 3-1 at the Coliseum and go to a Belgrade where Sasa Ilic is reported to be resigning after the match. Braga won 2-0 at home against Austria Vienna, whose Stephan Helm concedes "it must simply all fit together perfectly". Midtjylland lead Rijeka 2-0 through Cho Gue-sung and Sofus Johannesen, though Matjaz Kek is defiant: "What kind of athletes would we be if we didn't believe in our qualities? Greater miracles have happened in sport." Qarabag won 1-0 at Twente through Kady, and John van den Brom knows what Baku means: "Tomorrow is our last opportunity and we must deliver. There are no excuses." Borac Banja Luka won 3-1 in Iceland, Juricic scoring twice either side of Jojic, with Sigurdsson replying from the spot for Vikingur Reykjavik. Nordsjaelland beat St. Gallen 1-0 through Nicklas Rojkjaer, and Riga FC and KI Klaksvik drew 0-0 in the Faroes.

Four are genuinely level. Brann and PAOK drew 1-1 at the Toumba, Kristian Eriksen scoring before Abdul Rahman Baba equalised, and Brann Stadion is sold out for a night on which the club will pay tribute to Per Hilmar Nyboe, who died this week; Eirik Horneland wants his crowd in early. Hradec Kralove drew 2-2 in Athens after trailing Panathinaikos by two, the nineteen-year-old Abdullahi Umar scoring on 89 minutes and again in stoppage time, and their sold-out return is the club's biggest European occasion since coming back to continental football after thirty-one years. Rakow Czestochowa and Hajduk Split drew 2-2 at the Poljud, where Adrion Pajaziti was sent off and is suspended, and Dawid Kroczek is giving nothing away: "I won't reveal it, but I have a clear plan." Pafos and Dinamo City drew 1-1 in Elbasan, David Fadairo putting the Albanians ahead before Lele equalised from the spot, and the return is at the Alphamega Stadium in Limassol. FC Copenhagen and Inter Turku also finished goalless in Turku; Bo Svensson is blunt about what Parken is for -- "the objective is crystal clear: we have to go out and win the match, and we have to play our way into the league phase" -- while Inter Turku, unbeaten in seven European qualifiers this summer, have never reached a league phase at all.