One Insight from Each Team Following the First Legs of the Conference League Quarter-Finals

7 – Rayo Vallecano kicked off the evening with a resounding 3-0 victory over AEK Athens in Madrid. Goals from Ilias Akhomach, Unai Lopez, and Isaac Palazon propelled the Spaniards closer to a spot in the semi-finals. Following their first-ever home loss in the round of 16, Rayo was all business this time, leaving AEK with a difficult task ahead.

This marks the seventh occasion that Los Franjirrojos have maintained a clean sheet in a European match played on home soil.

12 – AEK will need to deliver a strong performance in front of their supporters next Thursday after experiencing their heaviest defeat in continental competition since the 2020/21 season.

Their last four European defeats have come by two or more goals, a concerning trend. For the Greeks to succeed, they must overcome a Spanish team for only the third time in what would be their 20th encounter. Dikefalos faced their 12th defeat against a LaLiga side.

20 – A powerful display from Crystal Palace saw them secure a 3-0 win against Fiorentina at Selhurst Park. The Eagles took control with two goals within seven minutes of the first half, with Ismaila Sarr’s header in the 90th minute strengthening their advantage in the tie.

They will now need to replicate this performance in Florence next week. That late goal from Sarr brought Palace’s tally to 20 in the Conference League this season.

2 – Fiorentina find themselves in real jeopardy of an early exit from the UECL. La Viola will not be returning next season, and unless they progress deep into the tournament this spring, they risk missing out on European football entirely. A silver lining is that they have already secured three victories in this tournament by a margin of three goals, all of which were away from home.

However, they posed little threat to Palace, managing only two shots on target throughout the match.

10 – Mainz celebrated a 2-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Strasbourg, with goals from Kaishu Sano and Stefan Posch. Currently enjoying their finest stretch in a UEFA competition, Die Nullfunfer are on the verge of becoming the first Bundesliga side to reach the semi-finals of the Conference League.

While their away performance has been less impressive, they hold hope for the return leg. Mainz achieved their 10th home win in European tournaments.

3 – Strasbourg are encountering significant challenges in the UECL, something they have not faced much during their journey to this point. Le Racing registered only half the number of shots of their hosts and only two on target.

In their four previous encounters against German teams, Strasbourg has never won by more than one goal. In fact, their loss to Mainz marked the third time they have fallen short in such contests.

14 – After a largely balanced first 70 minutes, Shakhtar Donetsk unleashed their attack on AZ Alkmaar in the final 20 minutes, sealing a 3-0 victory in Poland. The Pitmen, one of only two clubs that have won a UEFA club competition, now find themselves in a strong position.

Alisson’s quickfire brace late in the game puts the Ukrainians in a commanding position. Despite entering the match with a poor record against Dutch teams, Shakhtar has now netted 14 goals against Eredivisie clubs.

5 – As is often the case, AZ continue to struggle in away matches in Europe. The Eredivisie outfit boasts an excellent home record this season, but their performances on the road have been inconsistent.

This inconsistency could prove crucial in their quest for the trophy by the end of the season. While it seems unlikely now, they did manage to overturn a deficit in a previous UECL quarter-final three years ago.

Thursday’s defeat marked AZ’s fifth loss of the season, all occurring away from home—a total they last reached during their successful run to the semi-finals in the 2022/23 campaign.