Strasbourg looks to finish the job against the Croatian underdogs

Welcome to the Stade de la Meinau, where BlueCo’s favorite French laboratory, RC Strasbourg, attempts to reach the quarter-finals of the competition that exists solely to give mid-table teams a reason to travel to places they can’t find on a map. After a professional 2-1 heist in Croatia last week, the Alsatians are sitting pretty, though knowing this team, "pretty" usually involves ninety minutes of stress and at least one questionable VAR decision.

Gary O’Neil has turned Strasbourg into the undisputed KINGS of the boring draw in Ligue 1 lately. Watching them play Paris FC or Auxerre to a goalless stalemate is a form of refined torture usually reserved for people who enjoy tax audits. However, when the lights of the Conference League dim, Joaquín Panichelli suddenly remembers he’s a professional striker. With 18 goals this season, he’s basically carrying the entire BlueCo project on his back while Chelsea’s billion-dollar squad wonders how to score against a barn door.

Rijeka arrives in France looking like a team that’s already checked out for summer. They are currently third in a Croatian league where only two teams actually matter, trailing Dinamo Zagreb by a distance best measured in lightyears. Losing 2-0 at home to Istra last weekend isn't exactly the kind of "statement win" that makes opposition defenders tremble. Unless they’ve brought some magic water from the Adriatic, they are essentially here to admire the local architecture and eat some flammekueche.

Strasbourg’s home record is actually DECENT, and they should have more than enough quality to swat away a Rijeka side that looks more interested in the post-match buffet than a comeback. Expect O'Neil to park the bus the moment they score, because why entertain the fans when you can just win efficiently and go home?

Prediction: Strasbourg 2-0 Rijeka