After a two-month break, the Conference League is back. Unlike the Champions League and the Europa League, the group stage of the third continental competition consists of six matchdays, compared to eight for the other two. Thus, before the Christmas break, the eight teams that qualified for the round of 16 and the 16 that will play in the play-offs were decided.

The big surprises came from the Premier League and Serie A representatives, Crystal Palace and Fiorentina. Both failed to make the top eight despite their potential and have been forced to play in the play-offs. The rest of the teams from the major European leagues, such as Strasbourg, Rayo Vallecano and Mainz, lived up to expectations and are in the round of 16, where they will play the second leg at their home stadium.

Teams qualified for the round of 16 of the Conference League

1. Strasbourg
2. Rakow
3. AEK Athens
4. Sparta Prague
5. Rayo Vallecano
6. Shakhtar Donetsk
7. Mainz
8. AEK Larnaca

The Conference League play-offs

As in the Europa League, the Conference League play-offs will be played on Thursday 19 February for the first leg and a week later for the second leg. On both the 19th and 26th, there will be two sets of matches: four will be played at 6.45 p.m. and another four at 9 p.m. Anyone who wants to watch all the matches at once can do so on the Movistar Liga de Campeones 3 pay-TV channel.

In purely footballing terms, unpredictable knockouts are expected. Except for Crystal Palace and Fiorentina, who are strong favourites, in the rest of the matches, anyone will have a chance to qualify for the round of 16. The Italians stand out for having been runners-up in the Europa League on two occasions.

The Conference League is the European competition where football retains its essence, without any dominant powers and without any clear favourites. The clear contenders are always the representatives of the major European leagues, such as the Premier League, La Liga EA Sports, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. The winners of this play-off will play against the top eight teams in the round of 16, with the first leg at home. The draw for the round of 16 will take place on Friday 27 February.

Conference League play-off first leg matches

• Sigma Olomouc - Lausanne Sport (18:45 Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 9)
• Zrinjski Mostar - Crystal Palace (18:45 Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 6)
• KuPS - Lech Poznan (6:45 p.m. Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 8)
• FC Noah - AZ Alkmaar (6:45 p.m. Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 7)
• AC Omonia - HNK Rijeka (21:00 Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 7)
• FK Shkendija - Samsunpor (21:00 Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 8)
• FC Drita - NK Celje (21:00 Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 9)
• Jagiellonia Bialystok - Fiorentina (21:00 Movistar Champions League 3 and Movistar Champions League 6)