Eight Gambian players are set to feature for their respective clubs in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League playoff rounds, as the battle for places in the league phases reaches its decisive stage.
The playoff action begins on Wednesday, August 19, with the Champions League, before the Europa League and Conference League playoffs get underway on Thursday.
Yankuba Minteh, however, will miss Brighton’s European tie against Tromsø after suffering an injury against AS Roma.
Champions League
Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava will face Slovenian giants NK Celje in the Champions League playoff, with a place in the league phase at stake.
Slovan reached the playoff after eliminating Swedish side Mjällby 4-1 on aggregate. They completed the job with a 2-0 victory in the second leg, with Gambians Suleiman Camara and Alasana Yiranjang both finding the net.
The two Gambians have now scored twice each in the qualifiers, with Camara scoring in consecutive matches.
Camara’s latest strike was among the standout goals of the week as the Gambian continues to settle into life in European football.
The first leg against Celje will be played on Wednesday, August 19.
Europa League
The Europa League playoff round begins on Thursday, August 20, with a record number of Gambians hoping to help their clubs secure places in the league phase.
Sparta Praha dropped into the Europa League after losing 3-0 to Lyon in the Champions League qualifiers. Ebrima Singhateh came on in the 63rd minute.
Serbian giants Crvena zvezda were eliminated by Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva after losing both legs, 1-0 and 2-0. They will now face Viktoria Plzeň, who were themselves eliminated by Slovan Liberec.
Gambian midfielder Mahmud Bajo is yet to feature in the qualifiers, while Baboucarr Faal will be hoping to make his European debut despite being involved in three matches and playing 20 minutes.
RB Salzburg will once again count on Abubakr Barry, who played all 180 minutes of their qualifying-round tie against Pafos.
Barry also captained Salzburg on Sunday and provided an assist, further strengthening his growing influence at the Austrian club.
Meanwhile, Mjällby will be looking to keep their European ambitions alive after an impressive comeback in the Allsvenskan, recovering from 3-0 down to beat Sirius 4-0.
Conference League
The final Conference League qualifying round is also scheduled for Thursday.
Brighton will travel to Norway to face Tromsø, but the Seagulls will be without Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh, who is recovering from an injury suffered against AS Roma.
It will be an all-Scandinavian affair when Finnish side KuPS host FC Copenhagen. Gambian Mustapha Nyassi has made one appearance in the qualifiers and has largely played an understudy role.
Czech side Jablonec, who eliminated RFS, will now face Scottish giants Rangers. Gambian forward Lamin Jawo has featured in all of Jablonec’s matches in the competition.
KuPS are hanging on by a thread after dropping into the Conference League, where they will face Shamrock Rovers.
Riga FC left it late against Györ, with a 88th-minute goal from Ferreira deciding the tie after the aggregate score had remained level at 1-1. Gambian Muhammed Badamosi came on in the second half. Riga will now face Faroe Islands side KÍ Klaksvík.
Abdoulie Sanyang has featured in four European matches for Hajduk Split — two in the Europa League qualifiers and two in the Conference League. The Gambian provided an assist against FK Žalgiris Vilnius as Hajduk advanced to face Polish side Raków Częstochowa.
Suwaibou Kebbeh, who was on the bench against Anderlecht, made his European debut against Raków Częstochowa. His side narrowly lost the first leg 1-0 at home.
With the playoff rounds now upon us, the Gambian contingent will be hoping to make history by helping their clubs secure places in Europe’s three major league phases.
