UEFA Conference League Matchday 5: What to look out for

Chelsea and Legia Warszawa look to protect their flawless UEFA Conference records against Astana and Lugano respectively on the penultimate matchday of the league phase.

All kick-off times 21:00 CET unless stated

Thursday 12 December
Astana vs Chelsea (16:30)
Fiorentina vs LASK (18:45)
Copenhagen vs Hearts (18:45)
Dinamo-Minsk vs Larne (18:45)
Noah vs APOEL (18:45)
Petrocub vs Real Betis (18:45)
HJK Helsinki vs Molde (18:45)
İstanbul Başakşehir vs Heidenheim (18:45)
Legia Warszawa vs Lugano (18:45)
Olimpija Ljubljana vs Cercle Brugge (18:45)
St. Gallen vs Vitória SC
Mladá Boleslav vs Jagiellonia Białystok
Gent vs TSC
Omonoia vs Rapid Wien
Pafos vs Celje
Shamrock Rovers vs Borac
The New Saints vs Panathinaikos 
Víkingur Reykjavík vs Djurgården

Headline games

Astana vs Chelsea

Even before his side became the first to deny Vitória victory last time out, Grigoriy Babayan was discussing Chelsea. "The excitement is crazy," said the Astana coach, adding that "everyone is calling and asking" about tickets for their final league phase match in Almaty. The Kazakhstan club led until the 89th minute against their Portuguese opponents on Matchday 4 but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Jesús Ramirez's headed equaliser, though that result kept them unbeaten at home in the league phase.

Having confirmed their place in the knockout phase play-offs or round of 16 last time out, flawless Chelsea remain top of the Conference League standings. The Blues are reluctant to rest on their laurels, though. "We could have played better, we had moments where we were a bit lucky," said winger Jadon Sancho, provider for the Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk goals that handed Heidenheim a 2-0 home defeat. Those exacting standards reflect the ultimate goal that the 24-year-old and his team-mates are chasing: "We want to go all the way."

Did you know?
Astana's 13-match unbeaten home run (W11) includes five Conference League games.

Legia Warszawa vs Lugano

Legia Warszawa have quietly been keeping pace with Chelsea, joining the Blues as the only side to take four wins from four after triumphing 3-0 at Omonoia. High-scoring Chelsea top the rankings on goal difference, but the Warsaw side are setting the standard defensively. Though his side are yet to concede, Portuguese manager Goncalo Feio is pushing for even more solidity. "Once or twice we didn’t close down the opponents properly, which gave them opportunities," the 34-year-old said after the Matchday 4 success.

Lugano will hope to find some of those spaces as they take on Legia. Eighth overall, sharp interplay was a theme of their 2-0 win over Gent, as Ousmane Doumbia's thundering late finish and Hicham Mahou's early opener helped the Swiss side recover from Matchday 3 disappointment at TSC. "We won because everyone fought for every inch," explained coach Mattia Croci-Torti. "If we carry on like this, nobody will stand in our way." An unstoppable force vs the Conference League's immovable object: bring it on.

Did you know?
These two sides met in the first round of the 1971/72 UEFA Cup, Legia winning 3-1 in the first leg before drawing 0-0 in the second.

Making their mark

Mladá Boleslav

Patrik Vydra achieved personal redemption as Mladá Boleslav earned their first Conference League points thanks to his second goal in a 2-1 turnaround victory over Real Betis. Just over a month earlier, the 21-year-old defender, on loan from Sparta Praha, had hunched down, head in hands, after seeing his 81st-minute penalty saved to deny the Czech side an equaliser in their Matchday 2 meeting with Lugano. "In the back of my mind that feeling was still there," the Czechia Under-21 international said, "I'm so happy for today's goal and the fact that I helped us win."

Jagiellonia are the next visitors to the City Stadium, flying high after confirming their place in the knockout phase play-offs or round of 16 with a 3-3 draw at Celje, but Vydra and his team-mates are confident after their "best performance of the season" gave renewed determination to "fight to progress in Europe".

One To Watch

Miloš Pantović (TSC)

Two goals in each of his last two games have propelled Miloš Pantović to joint-third in the Conference League's scoring charts and alerted defenders to the threat posed by the 22-year-old winger, who is building on a sterling debut season at the Serbian club under summer appointment Jovan Damjanović. "He knows how to get the most out of each player and yet he always emphasises that the team comes first," Pantović says of his 42-year-old coach, having registered 21 goal involvements under predecessor Žarko Lazetić.

Pantović hit four of the six goals in the 4-1 win over Lugano and 2-2 draw at St. Gallen which got TSC off the mark in the Conference League. Travelling to face Gent on Matchday 5, the Serbian international has the chance to enhance his reputation further as he strives to "repeat and surpass" last season's achievements.