Djurgården to Take On Celje or Pafos in UEFA Conference League Round of 16

This afternoon’s draw for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Conference League (14:00 CET) will decide whether Djurgardens IF will make the journey to Slovenia to face Celje or head to Cyprus to take on Pafos, as the Swedish outfit returns to European action.

Finishing fifth in the league stage allowed Djurgardens to skip the knockout play-off round, where Pafos eliminated their fellow Cypriots Omonia Nicosia with a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Meanwhile, Celje also triumphed against Cypriot competition, overcoming APOEL 4-2 on aggregate.

As the only Swedish club still competing in European football for the 2024/25 season, Djurgardens will be keen to continue their strong league form into the knockout rounds.

After a sluggish start, where they secured just one point from their opening two matches, The Blue Stripes rebounded impressively, winning their last four encounters against Panathinaikos, The New Saints, Vikingur Reykjavik, and Legia Warsaw.

They are hopeful of maintaining this momentum as they enter the knockout stage against either Pafos or Celje, who finished 12th and 21st in the league phase, respectively.

This presents a significant challenge for new manager Jani Honkavaara, who took over from Thomas Lagerlöf in December.

Victorious History Boosts Confidence

In addition to their recent form and better standing in the league phase, Djurgardens can draw further confidence from their successful track record against teams from Slovenia and Cyprus.

However, as they have never previously faced Pafos or Celje in a competitive match, those stats might carry limited weight by the time the Round of 16 kicks off.

That said, they do have a perfect record against Slovenian clubs, courtesy of two 1-0 victories over NK Maribor in the qualifying play-off round earlier this season.

Tokmac Nguen netted the decisive goal in the first leg in Stockholm, while Deniz Hummet scored the sole goal in Maribor, securing Djurgardens’ advancement to the league phase.

Their last clash with a Cypriot team ended in a 3-2 defeat to APOEL in the second leg of a UEFA Conference League qualifier in 2022; however, a 3-0 victory in the first leg allowed them to progress.

Before that, their only previous encounter with a Cypriot side was a resounding 8-0 win over Apollon Limassol in the 1996/97 Intertoto Cup.

The draw for the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 will take place at 14:00 CET this afternoon.