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The first legs of the Europa League playoffs are set to take place this evening. Twenty-four teams are involved in this two-legged round, which will determine the qualifiers for the competition won last year by Atalanta.
Among the notable names are Ciro Immobile's Besiktas, who face Lugano in Switzerland, and Sporting Braga, who host Rapid Vienna.
The action kicks off at 7:00 PM with the Scandinavian derby between Molde and Elfsborg, where the Norwegian side is favored over the Swedes. At the same time, a fiercely contested and open match is expected between Riga and Apoel. Later in the afternoon, Viktoria Plzen takes on Hearts, with the Czech side heavily favored, while PAOK Thessaloniki is expected to have little trouble overcoming Shamrock Rovers.
At 8:00 PM, Ludogorets faces Petrocub Hincesti, and Maccabi Tel Aviv takes on Backa Topola, with both home teams likely to secure decisive results.
At 8:30 PM, one of the most intriguing matches of the round sees Lugano hosting Besiktas. It won’t be an easy trip for the Turkish side as they face a Lugano team that has started the Swiss league well, with three wins and one loss.
At 8:45 PM, Anderlecht and Ajax will visit Dinamo Minsk and Jagiellonia, respectively. The evening's schedule wraps up with Ferencvaros-Borac Banja Luka and Sporting Braga-Rapid Vienna.
The teams eliminated from the playoffs will enter the group stage of the 2024/2025 Conference League.
