The lowdown on Aberdeen’s Conference League opponents.

Dons will begin the league phase competition on October 2.

Aberdeen will compete in the Conference League’s league stage against Shakhtar Donetsk, Sparta Prague, Strasbourg, AEK Athens, Noah, and AEK Larnaca.

Jimmy Thelin’s team entered the competition after failing to qualify for the Europa League after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Romanian club FCSB on Thursday.

Following the draw in Monaco, the Dons will host Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, French club Strasbourg, and Armenian outfit Noah at Pittodrie during the league campaign.

Aberdeen will play away matches against Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic, AEK Athens of Greece, and Cypriot club AEK Larnaca.

The fixture dates will be confirmed by UEFA no later than Sunday.

Dates of league phase matches in the Conference League

Matchday 1: October 2
Matchday 2: October 23
Matchday 3: November 6
Matchday 4: November 27
Matchday 5: December 11
Matchday 6: December 18

The clubs lying in wait for the Dons

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

Shakhtar Donetsk, the third seed in Pot 1, finished third in the Ukrainian Premier League last season and won the Ukrainian Cup after defeating Dynamo Kyiv 6-5 in a penalty shootout.

They qualified for the league phase with a 3-2 extra-time win over Servette. Shakhtar Donetsk invested heavily during the summer window. On Thursday, they bought two Brazilians: 18-year-old striker Luca Meirelles from Santos for £10.4 million, and winger Isaque from Fluminese for £8.6 million.

The trio join 19-year-old midfielder Lucas Ferreira, who arrived from Sao Paulo for £8.6 million earlier this month. Due to the war in Ukraine, the team will play their home European games at the Stadion Miesjki in Krakow, Poland.

UEFA coefficient ranking: 53. How they qualified: Qualifying playoffs Last season: Champions League league stage (27/36) Best Conference League Performance: Debut

Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Sparta Prague, the highest-ranked team in Pot 2, finished fourth in the Czech First League previous season.

They qualified for the Conference League after defeating Latvian club Skonto Riga 2-1 on aggregate. Brian Priske, who is on his second tenure in command of the Czechs, is a well accomplished manager.

The former Danish international defender, who won the league championship twice and the Czech Cup in his first term in command, returned to the club in the summer after being let go by Feyenoord.

Priske has been busy remaking the team since his return, adding right defender Pavel Kaderabek and left winger John Mercado to the roster.

Striker Jan Kuchta, who impressed on loan from FC Midtjylland, has signed a permanent deal with the club, while defensive midfielder Sivert Heggheim Mannsverk has joined on loan from Ajax. UEFA coefficient rank: 48. How they qualified: Qualifying playoffs Last season:

Champions League league stage (31/36) Best Conference League performance: Knockout phase play-offs (2021-22)

Strasbourg (France)

Strasbourg, making their Conference League debut, qualified for the competition after finishing seventh in Ligue 1 last season. Following a goalless draw in the first leg, they advanced to the league phase with a 3-2 triumph at Brondby on Thursday.

Liam Rosenior took over as manager of Strasbourg in 2024, succeeding Patrick Vieira. Rosenior has overseen a dramatic overhaul at the club this summer, with Strasbourg investing around £90 million to strengthen their squad. Leading the way is striker Joaquin Panichelli, who arrived from Alaves for £14.3 million.

The French club have paid Nordsjaelland £15 million for centre-back Lucas Hogsberg, and midfielder Mathis Amogou has joined from Chelsea.

Mamadou Sarr, a central defender, has also joined the club on loan from the Blues. UEFA coefficient ranking: 117. How they qualified:

Qualifying playoffs Last season: N/A Best Conference League Performance: Debut

AEK Athens (Greece)

AEK Athens qualified for the Conference League by finishing fourth in the Super League playoffs last season. To qualify for the draw, the Greek club defeated Anderlecht 3-1 in the play-off.

The Dons will face former Hearts full defender James Penrice, who joined AEK Athens for an estimated £2 million in July. Serbia international striker Luca Jovic has also signed for Athens, coming on a free transfer from AC Milan.

Former Manchester United striker Anthony Martial is also a member of Marko Nikolic’s side, which plays at the 32,500-capacity AEK Arena.

UEFA coefficient ranking: 188. How they qualified: Qualifying playoffs Last season: N/A Best Conference League performance: 3rd qualifying round (2024/25).

AEK Larnaca (Cyprus)

The Cypriot Cup winners, who finished fourth in the First Division last season, were relegated to the Conference League after losing 6-1 on aggregate to Brann in the Europa League play-off on Wednesday.

Don’t be misled; they defeated Hibernian’s conquerors Legia Warsaw 5-3 in the third qualifying round and, despite being in Pot 5, are only two places below the Dons in the UEFA coefficient.

You could be forgiven for believing that left wing is a problem for AEK Larnaca, which has signed FOUR players in that position this summer. Venezuelan Yerson Chacon has signed a permanent contract after excelling on loan as a striker.

Three further left wingers, Yannick Amyn, Radosav Bajic, and Edu Saborit, have joined on free transfers, joining in July. AEK plays in the AEK Arena, which will be familiar to Dons supporters.

Derek McInnes’ Aberdeen club was ousted from the Europa League at the stadium in 2017 after facing Apollon Limassol.

UEFA coefficient ranking: 196. How they qualified: Europa League Qualifying Playoffs Last season: Second qualifying round. Best Conference League performance: Round of 16 (2022/2023)

Noah (Armenia)

Armenian Premier League Runners-Up Noah qualified for the Conference League’s league phase last season, becoming the first side in competition history to advance through all four qualifying rounds.

They advanced to the league phase after defeating Shkendija, Sliema Wanderers, AEK Athens, and Ruzomberok. They finished 31st out of 36 clubs in the league, with four points.

They return to the tournament after defeating Slovenian club NK Olimpija Ljubljana 7-3 on aggregate in the play-off round on Thursday.

Noah now has a new manager after Rui Mota, who guided the team to the league and cup double last season, left to join Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad.

His successor is Croatian Sandro Perkovic, who formerly managed Skonto Riga and Akritas Chlorakas. Perkovic was most recently an assistant manager at Dinamo Zagreb. Since taking over, Perkovic has been working to shape the squad.

The 41-year-old has recruited Japanese midfielder Takuto Oshima, Croatian defender Alen Grgic, Portuguese left back Aram Khamoyan, Armenian midfielder Hovhannes Harutynyan, Ghanaian defender Eric Boakye, Croatian-Australian forward Marin Jakolis, and Bosnian midfielder Nardin Mulahusejnovic to his roster.