Any Given Thursday

The knockout stages are finally here, and we had a doozy of a 1st leg slate. In Europa, AZ pummeled Galatasaray, as part of a perfect day for the Dutch sides. Meanwhile in the Conference, Vikingur stunned Panathinaikos, while Shamrock took down Molde in Norway on the backs of a 16-year old debutant. We'll give you all the insight on those major upsets, as well as the big clubs which rebounded from...

The Knockout Phase Playoff round is upon us in the Europa and Conference Leagues. 32 clubs enter, but only half will advance to their respective Round of 16s, and we're here to break it all down for you. We discuss each matchup in both competitions, from the star-studded Porto-Roma to the no-less-sexy TSC-Jagiellonia, and everything in between, including an in-form Ajax, a Cyprus on Cyprus matchup...

We were treated to our first Europa League Phase conclusion, and it certainly did not disappoint. Almost every club had something to play for, with both the knockout qualification spots and many of the Top 8 byes still in play. We cover each match, its effect on the table, and take you through the drama of the final moments which decided who made the knockout rounds and who was left out in the col...

Our first Europa League match-day of the year! The week kicked off in dramatic fashion around Istanbul - Kyiv stunning Galatasaray on Tuesday with a comeback draw for their first point of the campaign, then Besiktas taking it to Athletic Club on Wednesday in Ole Gunnar Solskjær's first game in charge. Thursday featured a slate of big clubs going head-to-head, where Sociedad, Roma, Fenerbahce faile...

Our winter break is over, and that means we're diving head first back into the Europa League. We cover the upcoming Matchday 7 fixtures and qualification scenarios, plus share updates on each of the 36 participants since we last encountered them in December. A surprise cheers to Oleksandr Shovkovskiy!

Well, well, well. The final day of Conference League League play was a dramatic one. Almost every team had something to play for, and almost every game had real stakes for the final table, and thus we were rewarded with thrilling football, dramatic late results, and lots of goals! Chelsea and Vitoria sealed their top 2 spots, Cercle Brugge snuck in with the last Round of 16 bye, while Celje, Molde...

It's official - Lazio, Athletic Club, and Chelsea are the class of the Europa and Conference Leagues. They may be through as Top 8 finishers in their respective competitions, but so much else is still to be decided! In the UEL, Roma and Porto get much-needed wins, Lyon looks dangerous, and Nice is finished in our last Europa matchday roundup until January. Elsewhere, the UECL comes to a head, with...

Club Spotlight is back, and this time we're turning our attention to Slovenia's own NK Celje! Celje have surprised and delighted us through the Conference League campaign, standing out with their entertaining brand of football despite their relatively small standing within the continental game. We talk about the club's history, its recent ascendancy into one of the nation's most competitive clubs,...

The table hierarchy is taking shape in the Conference League, and surprises abound! Shamrock continues its unprecedented unbeaten run, Celje and Vikingur notch another point apiece, and Jagiellonia sits third. Meanwhile, it's a mixed bag for the big boys, with Chelsea flying, Betis struggling, and Fiorentina being very much themselves. All the games, some table topics, and a look ahead to our seco...

The table is finally starting to take shape after an awesome fixture list in match-week 5! Spurs and Roma played to a thrilling draw, Manchester United bounced back, Frankfurt keeps on dominating, big trouble for Nice, and so much more. Join us in match breakdowns, analysis, and a look ahead to upcoming fixures. Cheers Elias Charalambous!

This week we're revisiting the epic 2003 UEFA Cup final between a young Jose Mourinho's Porto and veteran Martin O'Neill's Celtic. We breakdown both club's squads and stars (Deco! Henrik Larsson!), tactics, and storylines, before diving into their respective runs to the final, then the final itself. Join us in the time capsule, where two famous sides gave us the ultimate spectacle that just so hap...

It was a day of thrilling upsets, particularly in the Conference League, where Celje trounces Basaksehir, Vikingur buries Cercle, and TNS gets the Welsh league's first ever points in a European competition. Elsewhere, United, Nice, and Betis continue to struggle, Lazio go top of the Europa League, and Chelsea are...pretty damn good? All that and more on this week's AGT! Cheers Adrian Siemieniec!

It's the international break, and you know what that means: Club Spotlight time! This week, David walks us through Enschede's own FC Twente of the Eredivisie, including all its rich history, honors, and tactical iterations. Finally, we finish on Twente's promising new era (including recent points earned against Manchester United and Fenerbahce) , which places them in a fascinating context within D...

36 games games in the Europa and Conference Leagues have come and gone, and we have a LOT to talk about! In the Europa, we had a thriller in Porto, smaller clubs getting huge upset results ( RFS (!), Elfsborg, Twente, Anderlecht), bigger clubs struggling (Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Roma, Sociedad), and Tottenham youngsters stormed the gates in Hungary. Meanwhile in the Conference, Chelsea continued...

A busy and thrilling match-week 1 in the Europa League comes to a close! Bodo and Twente offer the surprises of the week against Porto and Manchester United, a couple of high-profile fixtures end in 1-1 draws, starry Galatasaray and Fenerbahce motor through, and Frankfurt throws away a win. All that and more as our League Phase kicks off! And if you'd like to see our beautiful faces while listenin...

With the Europa and Conference League League Phases rapidly approaching, we thought we'd give you a quick special edition episode with all our predictions for Matchday 1! First we cover the Europa, which kicks off Wednesday the 25th, then hit the Conference, which starts a week later on October 2. Do you agree with our takes? Are we spot on? Or are we idiots? Only time will tell. Cheers Mladen Žiž...

Our next League Phase preview is up and running, and this time we're all about the Conference League! Here, we react to our first taste of the new League Phase (via the Champions League), then dive into all our predictions for the six Conference League matchdays to come. We debate the teams who will qualify for the top 8, discuss the best fixtures, and highlight a couple of clubs to look out (I'm...

To welcome the return of our arch nemesis, the Champions League, we're releasing a preview of the Europa (League) League Phase! While still a week away from UEL football, we're stepping in to answer all your questions about the new format and the pros and cons of the switch from traditional group stages. Then, we predict which clubs will qualify for the knockouts and which will receive a bye by fi...

Our Club Spotlight series returns for the new season, and this time we turn our attention to the Basque Country and the pride of Donostia-San Sebastián, Real Sociedad. The famous club is a founding member of La Liga, a proud owner of 2 top-flight league titles and 3 Copa del Reys, and of course, a proud part of Basque culture. Maxwell takes David through the club's history, its past accomplishment...

Qualifying is over! I repeat: qualifying is OVER. That's right, we have our 36 League Phase teams decided in both the Europa and the Conference League, and we're walking you through how each club got there in the final matchday of the qualifying rounds. Fiorentina and Chelsea eek through, Lens upset by Panathinaikos, and Larne and other small-nation clubs shine. Cheers to Tiernan Lynch!

Welcome to Any Given Thursday's new Serie A spinoff podcast! David is going to take you through all the news and developments from the last week in Calcio, from Milan's disasterous start to Juventus's new look and all the Como and Lecce in between!

We're just 90 minutes of football away from finalizing our contestants in the '24-25 Europa and Conference Leagues after a thrilling first leg. In the UEL, Ajax got a big win away and Lugano and Besiktas play out a thriller, but the drama really kicked off in the UECL. Fiorentina was held at home to Puskas, Heidenheim got their first ever European win, and Chelsea just about squeaked through. We d...

Our third season of Any Given Thursday is off and running! We're officially back and picking up our beloved Europa and Conference Leagues as they completed the 3rd Qualifying Round. Did you watch? Did you miss it? Either way, we've got you covered, running through some of the biggest fixtures and results, looking ahead to this week's Playoff Round, make some long term predictions, and even play so...

We're back for a summer fling! On this two-part special edition summer show, we're recapping the two thrilling international tournaments we witnessed: the Euros and Copa America (ft Concacaf). This is Part 2: Copa America 2024. We begin with the world-beaters Argentina, give Colombia and Uruguay their due, and question Brazil's path to success before discussing a messy Concacaf showing and the man...

We're back for a summer fling! On this two-part special edition summer show, we're recapping the two thrilling international tournaments we witnessed: the Euros and Copa America (ft Concacaf). This is Part 1: Euro 2024. We give Spain their dues, give our takes on England, and bask in the glow of the Georgias and Slovenias of the tourney. Finally, we close with some thoughts on the early-goings of...