European Football Thursday: Europa League and Conference League Action Heats Up

It’s another packed European football Thursday as both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League take centre stage tonight, with dozens of clubs from across Europe battling for a place in the group stages.

Among the headline fixtures are two matches involving Ukrainian sides. In the Europa League, Shakhtar Donetsk face a tough test away against Panathinaikos in Athens. Kick-off is set for 21:00 Kyiv time.

Meanwhile, in the Europa Conference League, newly ambitious side Polissya Zhytomyr will host Hungarian outfit Paksi FC, with that clash also starting at 21:00.

In total, a staggering 39 matches are scheduled across both competitions as the third qualifying round gets underway. These ties are played over two legs, with the return fixtures set for next week. After that, just the decisive play-off round will remain before the group stage draw takes place in early September.