July 18, 2022 - Hajduk, Osijek, and Rijeka learn their possible opponents in the Conference League 3rd round qualifiers beginning early next month.
In the Conference League 3rd round qualifiers, Hajduk Split will play against the winner of the match between Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães and Hungarian club Puskas Akademia.
Hajduk enters the hunt for its first European autumn after more than a decade and will have a difficult task ahead. Vitória de Guimarães finished sixth in the championship, and the team is full of young internationals - their average age is 23.6. According to Transfermarkt, the value of the team is estimated at 42 million euros, which is slightly more than Hajduk (41.4 million euros).
The last time they competed in Europe was in the 2019-2020 season when they were eliminated in the Europa League group stage.
Vitoria's best player is the young 22-year-old Andre Almeida, who is already a sought-after commodity on the market. Transfermarkt values him at 5 million euros, and reportedly Wolverhampton has already sent an offer of almost 10 million euros for the midfielder.
Puskas is the easier opponent, as several players have left the club, including new Hajduk player Toni Borevković.
The Hungarian club is much smaller than Vitoria, and Transfermarkt estimates them at 12.3 million euros. Jakov Puljić stands out among the better players. They finished third in the championship, 17 points behind Ferencvaros.
Puskas is also known for its fantastic stadium, the Pancho Arena, which was built in 2014 and accommodates 3,816 fans at total capacity.
Osijek and Rijeka could also play in the same stage of the competition if they are successful in the 2nd qualifying round.
If Osijek beats FC Kyzylzhar in the 3rd qualifying round, they can face Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv or APOEL from Cyrpus. On the other hand, if Rijeka knocks out Swedish club Djurgården, they will play against Romanian club Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe or Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana in the next round of qualifications.
Hajduk will be the host in the first game, and the second leg will be played away, while Osijek and Rijeka will be guests in the first games, and the second legs will be played at home.
The first matches will be played on August 4, and the second leg on August 11.
Conference League 3rd qualifying round
Hajduk - Vitória de Guimarães (Portugal) or Puskas Akademia (Hungary)
Botev Plovdiv (Bulgaria) or APOEL (Cyprus) - Osijek
Sepsi (Romania) or Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Rijeka
Dinamo Zagreb also learned their possible opponent in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round and the Europa League 3rd qualifying round.
If Dinamo wins against North Macedonian club KF Shkupi, they will play against the winner of the match between Ludogorec and Shamrock Rovers in the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League.
If they advance to the 3rd preliminary round, Dinamo will play the first match away on August 2 or 3, while the return match will be played at Maksimir a week later.
If they lose against Shkupi, Dinamo will continue their European journey in the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League, where they will play against the losers from the same pair, Ludogorec - Shamrock Rovers.
The first match of the Europa League 3rd round qualifiers will be played on August 4, and the second week later, on August 11.
Source: Gol.hr
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