We were going to be off this week, but UEFA demanded that we get on Zoom and hammer out an emergency podcast after their ruling that Crystal Palace is removed from the Europa League and instead will play Conference League football in 2025-26.

We talk about how we got here - including Lyon winning appeal to stay in Ligue 1 (& thus Europe) - Palace's next steps, and how Nottingham Forest factors into all this, then vent our frustrations about UEFA's decision-making process and the double standard in the penalties (or lack there of) imposed on clubs and ownership groups of different sizes.

Cheers Oliver Glasner! You didn't deserve this!

It's time for the way-too-early Conference League 2025-26 preview! Except it really isn't too early - the 1st qualifying rounds start THIS WEEK if you can believe it.

But we're starting off with the 5 "big league" clubs who start their journey in the playoff qualifying round (aka the final step before the League Phase): Nottingham Forest, Rayo Vallecano, Mainz, Strasbourg, and of course, the Conference League house band - Fiorentina.

We take a look at what each club has to offer on and off the pitch, why we're so excited to watch them, and what order they should be ranked as tournament contenders.

Then, we move on to some lesser known participants from all over the continent - and some off of it. We take pitstops in Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Faroe Islands, and the Azores, as we introduce (or reintroduce) some of our favorite stories from the upcoming qualifying rounds and debate which minnows could make a Cinderella run at the League Phase!

Cheers Marc Schneider!

With the 2024-25 season in the books and Spurs crowned Europa League champions, we're back to do a way-too-early preview of next season's competition!

The upcoming campaign is much anticipated by us at Any Given Thursday thanks to a treasure trove of interesting contestants.

There's a group of obvious contenders, including clubs with appearances in last year's Champions League - Aston Villa, Bologna, and Stuttgart (the latter two also lifted surprise trophies in the Coppa Italia and DFB Pokal, respectively) - and those intimately familiar with Europa - Roma, Betis, Freiburg, and Lyon.

And there's a delightful accoutrement of underdog participants, including those qualified via the league - Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, Utrecht, Samsunspor - and those who went on charming upset runs to win their domestic cups - Crystal Palace, Go Ahead Eagles, Aberdeen, Wolfsberger, Fredrikstad, and Sigma Olomouc.

On the pod, we briefly touch on each of these clubs (and more!), offering just a taste of what we can expect on their Europa League journey, plus the significances of their achievements to date. Then we look ahead to the early qualifying rounds, predict who will advance, and debate who the leading contenders are to hoist the trophy next May.

And yes, we do also address the crisis at Lyon.

Cheers to us!