We've hit the midpoints of the Europa and Conference League league phases, and to celebrate, we're doing a detailed POWER RANKINGS of both competitions to determine where the fields stand.

In Europa, though we agree Benfica and Bournemouth are currently the cream of the crop, there is a lot of debate on what comes next. Both Milan and Juventus have put confusing contradictions on tape, while Sunderland and Palace sit rock bottom of the Premier League. Meanwhile, many of the teams who have impressed us thus far – Union Saint Gilloise, Ferencvaros, Olympiacos – come from non-top 5 leagues. How do we sort through all this in the rankings?

The Conference League's best three sides have remained intact all season, but we begin the section with a serious debate over Brighton vs Monaco for the top spot. Do we reward Monaco for their win over Freiburg andf perfect league phase start or Brighton for their overall excellence, defensive record, and sitting 2nd in England?

Beneath the top three, Trabzonspor and Ajax are on the rise after impressive runs of form, Atalanta, Getafe, and Midtjylland continue to slip, and chaos ensues in the bottom half. Plus, is Lugano for real? Or yet another piece of deceptive Swiss cheese?

Finally, we close with David's first half superlatives and try to get to the bottom of why David can't seem to count.

Cheers to Fabian Hürzeler!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:29 – Europa League power rankings

38:44 – Conference League power rankings

01:11:37 – David's superlatives

On today's Across The Contient, we're talking about the coaching carousel bearing down on Europe.

The breaking news is Paulo Fonseca is ditching Lyon for Sporting after the Lisbon club let go of Rui Borges last week. Why did Fonseca see greener pastures in Portgual, does this tell us anything about the two leagues, and will he succeed in the green and white?

Then we talk about Crystal Palace letting go of Pierre Sage after a run of form that sees the club dead last in the Premier League. What's going wrong for Palace, did Sage deserve more time, and who's best suited to replace him?

Next, we offer up a few coaches we think should be moved on, including our favorite, Allegri at Napoli, and debate what direction the clubs should be taking instead.

We discuss some coaches we think deserve more support and backing and throw out some names of coaches we'd like to see come through Atalanta, Napoli, Leipzig, and Manchester United, before closing with Maxwell's subject of the week (Falkirk's 5-match winning steak in Scotland) and David's subject of the week (Udinese in crisis at the bottom of Serie A).

Cheers!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

01:48 – Fonseca & Sporting

10:47 – Palace sack Sage

17:13 – coaches we're sacking

25:59 – coaches we're backing

30:48 – coach & club marriages we want to see

35:49 – Maxwell's subject | Falkirk's hot streak

38:09 – David's subject | Udinese in crisis

Another jammed-packed slate of Europa & Conference League action has come and gone, and we're breaking it all down for you.

In the Europa, Ferencvaros swatted aside Milan at the San Siro, while Palace and Sunderland also drop points. What's going on with these big-league sides, and are their campaigns salvageable?

We share some appreciative words for the remaining perfect squads, including table-topping Ferencvaros, plus the talented Benfica and Bournemouth squads. Then we play a game of contender/pretender. Does St Gilloise belong amonst the ranks of the tournament's best after an impressive win at Celta? And where does Besiktas stand after a loss in Glasgow?

We also discuss a few winners and losers, including a shockingly good start from Levski Sofia.

Then over in the Conference, we address Atalanta's poor form, Ajax turning around their season, Freiburg winning in Trabzon, and Imps winning another European match.

Cheers to Julio Velázquez!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:40 – Europa League | results & top storylines

18:17 – Europa League | table takeaways

26:24 – Europa League | contenders & pretenders

31:08 – Europa League | winners & losers

38:42 – Conference League | results & top storylines

47:34 – Conference League | winners & losers, table takeaways

56:25 – Conference League | contenders & pretenders

On our newest edition of our Club Spotlight series, we head over to Spain to examine the past, present, and future of Getafe CF, current participant in the Conference League.

David takes us through the background of the club from the 50s onward, with a focus on the 21st century, where they've participated in the Spanish top flight for the majority of the past 25 years. He explains their sustained success despite their relatively small size, their previous stints in Europe, their perfect marriage with manager José Bordalás and his specific style of play, and a very bizarre story about sperm banks and a porn film.

Cheers to José Bordalás!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

04:33 – club history

13:08 – European history

16:56 – current squad and José Bordalás

29:45 – looking forward

On this week's Across The Continent, we head over to South America for our main topic, as the finals for both the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana are set.

In the Libertadores, Palmeiras and Estudiantes face off for the ultimate trophy, while Atlético Mineiro and Boca Juniors will battle for the Europa League-equivalent Sudamericana.

We discuss the recent history of the continental competitions, Brazil's dominance in the Liberatadores, and give our predictions for each final.

Then, Maxwell takes us over to Africa for a look at the initial stages of the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup, highlighting a couple of major clubs that have already been eliminated – South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs FC and Zimbabwe's oddly-named Scottland FC.

Finally, David closes by examining the bottom-dwelling sides in Europe's top 5 clubs, including Le Havre and Málaga. Who's destined to be the worst of the worst this season?

Cheers to all the continents!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:39 – Copa Libertadores final

10:36 – Copa Sudamericana final

13:06 – Maxwell's topic | African Champions League

17:48 – David's topic | European bottom-dwellers

We had another 36-game extravaganza this Thursday between the two competitions, and the tables are beginning to take shape.

First, in the Europa League, we discuss a wide open field beneath the early favorites Benfica and Leverkusen. Is Bournemouth next in line after a resounding win over Milan? Where do Serie A rivals Juventus fit in after a disappointing draw with Rennes?

We also touch on the Celtic derby in Scotland, where Celta Vigo came from behind to defeat Celtic in a historic cultural fixture and Belgium's rise in European competitions.

Then we touch on some risers and fallers, introducing a new game called, YOU'RE TOAST, where we eliminate clubs from knockout contention, before discussing the 5 perfect teams through the first three rounds of fixtures. Are they all locks for the Top 8?

In the Conference League, we begin with Lugano's shock 5-2 drubbing at Getafe. Is Getafe in serious trouble in Europe and La Liga? And just how good is Lugano?

Next, we address Monaco's 3-0 statement victory over fellow contenders, Freiburg, though the game was closer then it looks. Is Monaco the clear favorite with their incredible attacking depth?

Finally, we talk risers and fallers and deliver some table takeaways, including Trabzonspor and Panathinaikos' hot form, Egnatia's surprise start to Conference League life, and tough days for the likes of Atalanta and Midtjylland.

And of course, we loiter for a moment on David's Coefficient Corner.

Cheers to Mattia Croci-Torti!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

03:15 – Europa League | Results & Top Stories

17:35 – Europa League | Risers & Fallers

21:56 – Europa League | Table Takeaways

32:04 – Conference League | Results & Top Stories

44:03 – Conference League | Risers & Fallers

51:29 – Conference League | Table Takeaways

53:55 – David's Coefficient Corner

This week's Across The Continent is all about the Ballon d'Or.

It's an award that has changed a lot over time, but in recent years has stirred up plenty of online debate and social media indignation. We begin by discussing the way this discourse has changed the nature of it, then David reveals his own definitive top 10 and winner of this year's prize.

Then for David's topic, he takes over to North America, where the USL regular season is hurdling towards its conclusion. What's at stake as the playoff picture emerges in the USA's other top flight?

And finally, Maxwell discusses the state of Tottenham Hotspur after they finally win a league game. Are they headed in the right direction? He would argue, no, not really.

Cheers to Harry Kane!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

05:49 – David's Ballon d'Or top 10

15:16 – the top 3

24:25 – David's topic | USL Playoffs approaching

29:51 – Maxwell's topic | Tottenham finally win a football match

Today, we're celebrating our first Europa and Conference League double extravaganza, as 36 matches played out over the course of 5 hours on Thursday.

We begin with Europa, where Benfica and Leverkusen are staking their claim as the tournament's top contenders. Milan and Juventus also come out with big road victories, while Bournemouth and Sunderland tries to build momentum with wins – though Sunderland had to work hard for theirs against a pesky Torreense. Meanwhile, Besiktas took down another big-league opponent. Are they a legitimate challenger for the title?

We also discuss the teams struggling in the early days of the season, including Marseille, Hoffenheim, and Celta Vigo, who have no points to show for their first two outings. Can they turn things around?

In the Conference, most of the big boys came away with opening-day wins, with a few notable exceptions. Getafe could only manage a draw in Craiova. What're the ceiling for Bordalás' men in this competition? Ajax lost at Hajduk Split, continuing another poor run of form. Is there something rotten in their infrastructure? And Braga extends their bad start to the season, losing 3-0 at Copenhagen while looking a shell of their former selves.

It's not all doom and gloom, though, as a pesky Egnatia side earned a shock draw with Midtjylland, despite having to play outside of their usual home in Tirana.

Along the way, we give some winners and losers, panic meter scores, and choose the teams we believe can actually win the title in both tournaments.

Cheers to Nevil Dede!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

2:28 – Europa League | Results & Big Takeaways

10:32 – Europea League | Winners & Losers

20:09 – How many teams can actually win the Europa League?

26:30 – Europa League | Panic Meter

31:58 – Conference League | Results & Big Takeaways

36:23 – Conference League | Winners & Losers

45:36 – How many teams can actually win the Conference League?

48:56 – Conference League | Panic Meter

51:52 – David's Coefficient Corner