August 31, 2020 – Hajduk and Osijek, the two Croatian representatives that will compete in the second qualifying round of the Europa League, have found out their rivals. Hajduk v Renova and Osijek v Basel.
Only one game is played at this stage of the competition. Hajduk will play against the Macedonian club Renova away, while Osijek plays against Basel at their stadium. The matches will be played on September 17, 2020.
Renova finished last season in fourth place behind Vardar, Sileks, and Shkendija. The Macedonian club beat the Armenian club Alashkert 1-0 in the first round. This is their return to Europe after five years. They have played six times in Europe, and their biggest success was the elimination of Rijeka in the Intertoto Cup in 2008. They were the champions of Macedonia in 2010.
Next to Tottenham, Basel is the club with the highest odds in the Europa League qualifiers. They were stopped by Shakhtar in the quarterfinals last season. Basel was the Swiss champion last in 2017. They passed the group stage of the Champions League three times in the last ten years, and in 2013, played in the semifinals of the Europa League. The most valuable player of the club is the Brazilian striker Arthur. His value is estimated at six million euro. He scored 18 goals and, along with Fabian Frei, was the club’s top scorer. Arthur tested positive for the coronavirus, so his performance against Osijek is still in question.
Tomorrow, the draw of the third qualifying round will be held, and Rijeka and Lokomotiva will join Hajduk (not-seeded) and Osijek (seeded due to the Basel coefficient). Rijeka will be a top-seed, and Lokomotiva will not. The third qualifying round matches are scheduled for September 24, 2020.
Furthermore, Dinamo is the only Croatian representative in the Champions League qualifiers. The Croatian champion has drawn Hungarian Ferencvaros in the third qualifying round.
Only one match is played in Budapest on September 15 or 16. In the second qualifying round, Dinamo played away and eliminated Romanian club Cluj on penalities.
Source: Index.hr
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