Conference League Matchday 2: What to look out for

Chelsea travel to Panathinaikos after cruising past Gent and Cercle Brugge's Kevin Denkey is looking to continue his goalscoring exploits on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Conference League.

All kick-off times 21:00 CET unless stated

Thursday 24 October
Víkingur vs Cercle Brugge (16:30)
Gent vs Molde (18:45)
Djurgården vs Vitória SC (18:45)
APOEL vs Borac (18:45)
Rapid Wien vs Noah (18:45)
Hearts vs Omonoia (18:45)
St. Gallen vs Fiorentina (18:45)
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea (18:45)
Jagiellonia vs Petrocub (18:45)
Celje vs İstanbul Başakşehir (18:45)
Larne vs Shamrock Rovers (18:45)
Real Betis vs Copenhagen
HJK Helsinki vs Dinamo-Minsk
Olimpija vs LASK
The New Saints vs Astana
Mladá Boleslav vs Lugano
TSC vs Legia Warszawa
Pafos vs Heidenheim

Headline games

Panathinaikos vs Chelsea

A trip to Athens awaits Chelsea after their 4-2 win over Gent at Stamford Bridge. It was a memorable competition debut for the Blues and for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who, alongside team-mate Renato Veiga, scored his first goal for his new club. "I'll never forget that moment," the midfielder said. While the Blues look to create more unforgettable moments, Panathinaikos will be anxious to kick-start their campaign after a 1-1 draw against Bosnian side Borac on Matchday 1.

Key stat

Chelsea made it 12 European home group and league phase matches unbeaten by defeating Gent.

Real Betis vs Copenhagen

Conference League football returns to the Estadio Benito Villamarín as Real Betis and Copenhagen seek to bounce back from Matchday 1 defeats. "We lacked creativity," complained Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini following his side's 1-0 loss at Legia. "The team tried to play but couldn't find space in a tight defence." He will hope that Copenhagen – beaten 2-1 at home by another Polish side, Jagiellonia, last time out – will be less obdurate as they search for a first-ever win in Spain (D2 L5).

Key stat

The sides met in the second round of the 1997/98 Cup Winners' Cup, Betis winning 2-0 at home before drawing 1-1 in Denmark.

Making their mark

Noah

Only the second Armenian side to feature in a major UEFA club group stage, Noah turned heads on their Conference League debut with a 2-0 home win over Mladá Boleslav. "We controlled the game from the first minute," said Portuguese coach Rui Mota. The Armavir-based side draw their name from the Biblical Noah, whose Ark is said to have landed on Armenia's Mount Ararat, and they are hoping that they have not yet reached their peak. "Unity around one idea and hard work can solve any problems," said forward Matheus Aias looking ahead to their Matchday 2 trip to Vienna's SK Rapid.

One to watch

Kevin Denkey (Cercle Brugge)

With a swivel and a strike, a darting run and finish at the near post and a confident penalty, Kevin Denkey scored the first hat-trick of the Conference League season in Cercle Brugge's 6-2 defeat of St. Gallen on Matchday 1, and claimed two assists as well. The Belgian First League's 27-goal top scorer last season, the 23-year-old Togolese striker credited Cercle coach Miron Muslic's belief for his form in recent campaigns: "So much faith moves mountains." The current Conference League top scorer will look to keep the goals coming away against Icelandic side Víkingur on Matchday 2.