We got our first taste of Europa and Conference League knockouts in 2026 and we're here to break down all the action.

Nottingham Forest won the day with a dominant display in Istanbul in Vitor Pereira's first match in charge, re-staking their claim as a tournament favorite. Stuttgart, Celta, and Bologna also came through with big road wins to take control of their ties, and we take stock of each's chances moving forward. Meanwhile, Lille put themselves in a major hole against Red Star to cap off a disastrous run in the new year – why can't they score?

Next, we turn to the Conference League, where Fiorentina put in an excellent 2nd half performance in Bialystok to boost confidence. Is this finally the start of a turnaround for the relegation-threatened Viola? We also address Crystal Palace's strife after a putrid draw in Bosnia & Herzegovina, wonder at AZ's ugly road form in the competition, and marvel at Celje's striker factory.

Finally, we give an update on the Women's Europa Cup , that saw Frankfurt, Häcken, Hammarby, and Sparta qualify for the tournament's inaugural semifinals.

Cheers to Igor Štimac!

An extra special day on the pod – our friend Jacob Hill returns for a new episode of our special edition series, Any Given Redraft!

And we've got a doozy this time: the 2023 NBA Draft, inarguably one of the worst in league history.

It's the year Anthony Bennet went number one, the year only one All Star was picked in the lottery, the year the Bucks drafted one of the greatest players of all time just after, and the year that the Podfather, Bill Simmons, went undefeated on ESPN's broadcast.

We begin by breaking down how the night unfolded at Barclays Center, with David Stern going full heel and riling up the Brooklyn crowd. Naturally, we discuss Bill Simmons' big night, including his iconic reaction to Cleveland's selection of Anthony Bennett, Victor Oladipo's case for the number one pick, Giannis' upside, CJ McCollum's Patriot League representation, just to name a few.

We also hit on the numerous lottery disappointments, from Nerlens Noel to MCW to Shabazz Muhammad.

Finally, we get to our redraft, where we each draft teams of 8 players. Along the way, we marvel at Giannis' accomplishments to date, debate the selection of McCollum vs. the Stifle Tower, wonder at Oladipo's ceiling if health hadn't failed him, and slog through some abominable bench selections towards the back end.

This one's for the sickos. Enjoy.

Cheers to Bill Simmons and David Stern!

The Europa League league phase's final match-day as come and gone, and the knockouts are finally set!

We take you through the play-by-play of how all the drama unfolded, including how Lyon and Aston Villa claimed top seeding in the knockouts, how Roma secured the final bye to the Round of 16 despite an early red card in Athens, and Brann clung to the final knockout spot thanks to Young Boys' conceding a devastatingly late equalizer in Stuttgart.

Then we move on to our title power rankings. Which clubs are in the top tier of likeliest tournament winners? Who's on the outside looking in? And what underdogs could pull shocks as the rounds progress?

We close with a look-ahead to the first knockout round, which features some elite matchups (looking at you Forest-Fenerbahce) and a whole bunch of tossups, and of course a healthy dollop of David's Coefficient Corner.

Cheers Per-Mathias Høgmo!

The Europa League is finally back, and we're covering all of the best Match-Day 7 action!

Big boys fell across the continent Thursday, including Roma and Celta Vigo besting Stuttgart and Lille, and Nottingham Forest and Real Betis putting up stinkers on the road.

Elsewhere, Lyon and Villa become the first clubs to seal top 8 and qualify for the Round of 16, Celtic embarks on their second resurgence under Martin O'Neill this season, Brann and Midtjylland gift us a six-goal thriller mired in VAR decisions, and Nice FINALLY WINS A EUROPA LEAGUE MATCH! What a time.

We break down the day's best action, check in on the favorites, and work through the table and Match-Day 8 fixtures – all 18 of which will have an impact on the final standings and qualification.

Finally, we take a look at last week's Conference League knockout draw, including a tasty matchup between Fiorentina and Jagiellonia, and give some love to our Any Given Thursday alumni making some waves in the Champions League – Qarabag, Bodø, Pafos, and Olympiacos.

Cheers Martin O'Neill!

We're back from winter holidays to talk about the wild coaching carousel January has brought us – particularly in the UK.

Our main story is Chelsea, who parted with Enzo Maresca and replaced him with Strasbourg's Liam Rosenior. But was he ever really Strasbourg's? We discuss Chelsea's treatment of the proud French club as a minor league feeder team and why UEFA refuses to enforce its own rules. We also speculate on Rosenior's success at the Bridge. Can he make it longer than Maresca? Is he too corny to relate to players?

Next, we address other Any Given Thursday alumni struggling for direction in Britain – Manchester United is out a manager yet again, and we spend some time admonishing their business practices, as well as Spurs' and West Ham's. Are these badly-run clubs making the Premier League less watchable?

We then turn to Glasgow, where Celtic cut ties with Wilfried Nancy after a catastrophic 33 days in charge. We debate what went wrong for Nancy, where Celtic go from here, and why clubs continue to make the same mistakes in their coaching hires.

Finally, we move to the continent, where we comment on floundering Mainz welcoming new manager Urs Fischer to the fold. Can he save them from the German Conference League curse and relegation?

All that and a bit of transfer business from Italy and Portugal.

Cheers to Ron Jans!

The Conference League league phase concluded with a bang Thursday night, and we're breaking down every game!

Universitatea Craiova was the day's top story for all the wrong reasons. We discuss the series of unfortunate events that led to their heartbreaking elimination, including the Romanians blowing a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 in Athens, a stoppage time Zrinjski Mostar equalizer, a late Sigma goal, and of course, KuPS' dramatic draw at Selhurst Park.

That's right, little old KuPS took it to the South Londoners for a period in the second half to dramatically qualify for the knockouts and force Crystal Palace out of the Top 8 and thus the Round of 16 bye. We give our thoughts on how the Finns accomplished such a feat and debate how serious the setback is for Palace.

Meanwhile, there was plenty of other Top 8 drama throughout the continent. Mainz and Rayo secured the bye, and a late AEK Larnaca winner launched the frisky Cypriots into the coveted final spot.

Of course, we must also talk about Fiorentina, who lost yet again (this time at Lausanne).

We wrap things up with a title-contender power rankings and a look ahead to the knockouts draw in January.

Cheers Jarkko Wiss!

We're back to break down all the action from last Thursday's Europa & Conference League bonanza.

We start in Bulgaria and Romania, where Ludogorets and FCSB played host to two extraordinarily entertaining goal fests, with the former taking down struggling Feyenoord.

We also take a stop in Greece to discuss why AEK Athens is in such good form and why they have a real shot at challenging for the UECL grown.

Then we move on to the BIG BOYS in both competitions, stopping along the way to marvel at Aston Villa's ability to pull out close wins, laud Vincenzo Italiano for the work he's doing at Bologna, and pile on Fiorentina, Mainz, and Nice , who are all experiencing the worst of times.

Of course, we still have time to talk Lincoln Red Imps' historic second win in the league phase, plus examine Wilfried Nancy's rocky start to life at Celtic.

All that, and a look ahead to what's at stake on the Conference League league phase's final day on December 18.

Cheers to Marko Nikolić!

Our Club Spotlight series returns to bring you a very non-controversial topic!

That's right, we're covering Hungary's own Ferencvaros, the most decorated club from the proud footballing nation — and often its most contentious.

Real-life history major David Blomquist takes us back to the club's founding through its dense history to find out how it became the domestic powerhouse we know today, and also to flesh out its complicated identity and relationship with far-right nationalism.

So a super light episode, basically! Let's all hope Viktor Orbán does not come after David.

We also discuss the current iteration of the squad under manager Robbie Keane and why they've had such a good start to their Europa League campaign.

So join us on a tour of the layered history of a famous club, whose political entanglement reflects a broader sporting reality across the globe — and yes, is also a good football team!

Cheers Robbie Keane!