It's all happening as we hit the one-quarter mark of the Europa League league phase.

Forest are hurdling towards a cliff in 6 winless games under Ange Postecoglou — are they fully in crisis? Rangers certainly are, with yet another loss added to Russell Martin's brief tenure.

Elsewhere, Roma and Stuttgart are both shut out, and Celta Vigo finally get their first win of the season, and Porto remains perfect.

It was a week to celebrate the teams who got big upset wins, including Midtjylland, Basel, Sturm Graz, Lille, and Go Ahead Eagles.

We also discuss Nice's abominable Europa League standing, what's working for Braga, and naturally, Robin van Persie's ageless handsomeness.

Cheers to Mario Kovačević!

Join us in reliving all the tremendous action of the Europa League league phase, match-day 1!

We had a thriller in Betis v Forest, Villa finally eked out a win, Roma looks like the favorite, and are we sleeping on Stuttgart?

Plus, Panathinaikos makes a statement, Braga takes all 3 points against pod-favorite Feyenoord, and Rangers are still utterly calamitous.

We also take a brief detour down Tanner Tessman lane and discuss what a stacked USMNT midfield might group might look like come World Cup 2026.

All that and much more on the pod.

Cheers to mf-ing Olivier Giroud!

"I don't know what counts as a dispossession if not getting tackled and losing the ball." - David Blomquist

It's a big week on Any Given Thursday because the Europa League proper is officially here!

That's right, the first round of league phase games begin Wednesday, and it is one of the best slates we've ever had covering the tournament.

We hit all the best matchups, including Betis v Forest, Nice v Roma, + Midtjylland v Sturm Graz on Wednesday, and Stuttgart v Celta Vigo + Aston Villa v Bologna Thursday — and predict the results.

We also talk our favorite hipster showcases and discuss which big-league clubs are already trending in the wrong direction.

Cheers Robin van Persie!

We're back with the Conference League league phase preview bonanza!

We begin with who received the toughest draws (Aberdeen), which of the big boys could have the most trouble with the 6-game fall slate (Mainz), and who we think will coast through to a top 8 seed (Rayo).

We discuss the tournament favorites in detail, including whether Palace has enough to challenge Fiorentina for the title, or whether their summer of inactivity will cost them across all competitions — plus what we think of the Marc Guehi situation. We also debate the merits of Strasbourg and AZ as actual contenders.

Finally, we tackle the likely bottom dwellers, including what we can expect from the like of Hamrun Spartans, Lincoln Red Imps, and Drita, as well as some possible long-shot hopefuls for the title (looking at you AEK Athens).

And of course, we couldn't go a whole Conference League pod without fanboy-ing out on Celje and Shamrock Rovers!

Cheers to Mirel Rădoi!

We're back to do what we do best: PREVIEWS!

That's right, it's the 2025-26 Europa League league phase preview bonanza.

We open by talking about the draws, including Celtic and the Dutch sides getting very difficult paths, then move on to discussing the favorites to win the competition (Roma, Villa, Forest, Lyon) and whether we agree with the odds makers.

We also tackle which teams with long shot odds are could be sleepers to go deep in the tournament. Spoiler: we're in love with Feyenoord.

Finally, we give out some awards (including the Bodo/Glimt Award for biggest overachiever and the Nice Award for biggest underachiever), and pick who we think will earn the top 8 bye, and who we think the 8 worst teams will be.

Cheers to Gian Piero Gasperini & Unai Emery!

We're back to discuss last Thursday's conclusion to the Europa and Conference League final qualifying round (as well as a little Champions League)!

It was a week of firsts, including Hamrun Spartans becoming the first Maltese club to qualify for a European group stage. Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano also survived to earn their inaugural shot at Thursday night football.

The other Conference League big boys survived by the skin of their teeth – both Mainz and Strabourg got huge bounce-back wins after disappointing 1st leg performances, and Fiorentina overcame a dreadful 78 minutes to eventually see off Polissya.

Elsewhere, Poland, Greece, and Cyprus continued their excellent campaigns, while the Turks and Scots had a nightmarish week, including embarrassing Champions League defeats for both Celtic and Rangers.

Cheers Giacomo Modica!

The Playoff Qualifying Round has kicked off in the Europa & Conference Leagues, and it's all to play for!

The headline in the Conference League was the big boys struggling, with Scandanavian sides taking full advantage. Palace managed just a 1-0 home win vs Fredrikstad amidst a frustrating week off the pitch, Strasbourg was held scoreless in France by Brøndby, & Mainz suffered a 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Rosenborg.

Elsewhere, both Irish sides got huge victories, including a shock win at Santa Clara for Conference League veterans Shamrock. Plus Virtus stayed alive, maintaining just a single goal deficit heading back to San Marino, where they hope to be the first club from their nation to qualify for a European group stage.

Meanwhile in the Europa League, Utrecht continues their impressive qualifying run, Brann-AEK Larnaca and Panathinaikos-Samsunspor set themselves up for terrific 2nd legs, and Red Imps' and KuPS' magical qualifying runs come to an end – but fear not! We'll see them both in the Conference League league phase.

All that plus more praise for the Cypriot, Norwegian, Polish, and the Dutch leagues, and a quick check in on Champions League qualifying!

Cheers Per-Mathias Høgmo!

We're officially back for the 2025-26 Europa & Conference League campaigns, and as always, we're kicking things off with the 3rd qualifying rounds.

The 1st legs were full of action, and we discuss some major upsets from old friends (Celje, Víkingur Reykjavík, AEK Larnaca), and new (Hibs, Shelbourne).

Then we explore Cyrpus' remarkable European successes of late, why the Irish league is on the rise, if this is a breakout season for Scottish clubs, and speculate whether Malta is the next country to pop their cherry and qualify a team for European group stages for the very first time.

We're also introduced to some clubs previously unfamiliar to us, including FC Polissya Zhytomyr, whose name we hopefully did not butchered to unreasonable degree.

It feels good to be back – come hang!

Cheers Joey O'Brien!