The Europa Conference League playoff round is happening on Thursday, 21 August 2025, where clubs are competing for a chance to get into the group stage. Hacken is hoping to use their strong offense at home against the experienced Romanian team CFR Cluj, while Levski Sofia has a tough task ahead against the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar.
In France, Strasbourg will play against the Danish team Brondby in what might be one of the closest matches of the night. The Slovenian champions Celje will take on the Czech team Ostrava, and in Poland, Jagiellonia feels confident going up against Dinamo Tirana, even though European qualifiers can be full of surprises.
With different playing styles and high stakes, these games are sure to bring a lot of excitement as teams battle for a spot on Europe’s biggest stage.
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Hacken vs CFR Cluj
Hacken went straight into the Europa League’s third qualifying round to face Brann. In the first match, they lost 0-2 while playing away, having a tough time on defense and not managing to score. The second match at home ended with a 1-0 victory, but their overall loss of 1-2 meant they were out of the tournament, showing they had trouble attacking.
They are not in great form in the league, having not won in 5 matches, with 3 losses and 2 draws, placing them in 10th position.
CFR Cluj started in the first qualifying round of the Europa League against Paks. They moved on with a total score of 3-0. In the second qualifying round against Lugano, they drew both games but still advanced thanks to a goal in extra time.
However, the third qualifying round against Braga was tough: they lost 1-2 at home and 2-0 away, leading to a 1-4 elimination, which showed their defensive weaknesses against stronger teams.
Hacken should take advantage of playing at home to exploit CFR’s poor performance away and their defensive problems.
1 (Hacken to Win)
Odds:2.19
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Levski Sofia vs AZ Alkmaar
Levski started their journey in the Europa League by facing Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the first qualifying round. The first match ended in a 0-0 tie, and the second match was 1-1 away, which allowed Levski to move forward with a 3-1 win in penalties after extra time.
In the second qualifying round against Braga, they had a 0-0 draw at home but lost 0-1 away after extra time, leading to a 0-1 total defeat and a drop to the Conference League’s third qualifying round.
In the Conference League third qualifying round against Sabah Baku, Levski secured a 1-0 victory at home and a 2-0 win away.
AZ Alkmaar entered the Conference League third qualifying round to play against Vaduz. They won the first match 3-0 at home and 1-0 away, advancing with a total score of 4-0 thanks to their strong defense, keeping clean sheets in both games and averaging 2 goals scored per match.
As a higher-seeded team from the Netherlands, AZ skipped earlier rounds and focused on playing efficiently while allowing few goals.
AZ’s strong defense and effective attacking should help them get past Levski’s tough home game. We expect the home team to score at least one goal, and we hope to see at least one goal from both teams.
GG (BTTS-Yes)
Odds:1.80
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Strasbourg vs Brondby
As the fifth-place team in Ligue 1 last season, Strasbourg went straight into the playoff round without having to play earlier qualifiers. This is their first European match of the season, and they haven’t played any prior rounds in the 25-26 UEFA competitions. Their entry shows how strong France’s UEFA ranking is, which lets them go directly to the final qualifying stage.
They have been concentrating on their pre-season and early Ligue 1 games, getting ready without the tiredness that comes from extra European matches.
On the other hand, Brondby, who were the runners-up in the Danish Superliga, began in the second qualifying round. They played against HB Torshavn, winning 1-0 at home in the second leg after a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg.
In the third qualifying round, they faced Vikingur Reykjavik, where they lost 3-0 away but came back to win 4-0 at home, moving on with a 4-3 aggregate score. Brondby’s qualifying matches showed they were strong against lower-ranked teams, especially at home.
With Strasbourg’s home advantage, quick attacking style, and a fresher team, they are likely to overpower Brondby’s solid but inexperienced defense. We expect an exciting match with at least 3 goals scored during the game.
3+ (Over 2.5)
Odds:1.85
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Celje vs Ostrava
Celje has shown great performance in European tournaments. In the 24/25 UEFA Conference League, they made it to the quarter-finals, where they played against Fiorentina. Even though they tried really hard, they were just barely knocked out with a 2–2 tie in the second leg, after losing 2–1 in the first leg.
Celje played against Sabah Baku in the first qualifying round of the 25/26 UEFA Europa League. Then, they went up against AEK Larnaca and, even though they played well, they lost narrowly with a 1-2 defeat at home and a 2-4 loss away, ending with a total score of 3-6.
They moved on to the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Conference League, where they beat Lugano with a total score of 7-4.
Ostrava entered the Europa League in the second qualifying round, tying 2-2 at home and losing 2-1 away to Legia, which led to a 4-3 total defeat. They then dropped into the Conference League, where they played against Austria Vienna in the third qualifying round. Ostrava won 4-3 at home and had a 1-1 draw away.
However, Ostrava has shown some weaknesses in defense, allowing nine goals in their last five competitive games and not managing to keep a clean sheet during this time.
Given Celje’s strong performance at home and Ostrava’s defensive issues, it seems likely that Celje will win.
1 (Celje to Win)
Odds:2.08
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Jagiellonia vs Dinamo Tirana
Jagiellonia has really stood out in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. In the second qualifying round, they beat Novi Pazar 2-1 away and 3-1 at home, moving on with a total score of 5-2. Then, in the third qualifying round, they played against Silkeborg, winning 1-0 away and drawing 2-2 at home, which gave them an aggregate score of 3-2.
Their ability to score a lot, averaging 2.8 goals per game in their last five matches, shows how strong their offense is.
Dinamo Tirana started in the second qualifying round of the Conference League, winning against Atletic Club d’Escaldes 2-1 at home, and they drew 1-1 in the away match.
In the third qualifying round, they went up against Hajduk Split, losing 2-1 away but winning 1-0 at home, and they managed to win after scoring 2 goals in extra time. Their skill in scoring against a tough team like Hajduk Split shows they can be a threat, but they still have some defensive problems to work on.
Dinamo showed they can be tough against Hajduk Split, but their bad record away and defensive issues might be a problem at Chorten Arena. We expect to see an exciting match with at least 3 goals.
3+ (Over 2.5)
Odds:1.67
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Kindly be advised that all odds are accurate as of the publication date and time indicated, and they may be subject to alterations.
