Raków Częstochowa travel to Malta for Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round second leg with one foot in the next round after claiming a 3-1 victory in the opening encounter in Poland.

Match Preview

Valletta enjoyed a successful return to the Malta Premier after earning promotion in 2025, eventually finishing fourth in the league standings. Their title hopes ended in the championship phase after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Floriana before they were beaten by Ħamrun Spartans. However, they did finish the campaign on a high by lifting the FA Trophy.

Raków narrowly missed out on the Polish Ekstraklasa title last season. The Częstochowa outfit finished fourth, just one point behind both Górnik Zabrze and champions Jagiellonia, underlining how competitive the title race proved to be.

Their domestic campaign has not started ideally, with a 2-1 home defeat to Wisła Płock suggesting that European football is currently their main priority.

The first leg initially hinted at a possible upset, as Valletta took the lead midway through the opening half and remained in front for much of the contest. However, Raków responded impressively after the interval, scoring three unanswered goals to secure a commanding 3-1 victory and put themselves in a strong position ahead of the return fixture.

Head-to-Head

The first leg in Poland was the first-ever competitive meeting between the two clubs.

Prediction

Valletta face a difficult task overturning a two-goal deficit against one of Poland’s strongest sides. Raków possess greater quality and experience at this level and should have enough to complete the job comfortably.

Prediction: Raków Częstochowa to win with a -1 handicap.

Key Statistics

• Valletta have won two of their last three matches.
• The Maltese side average 1.21 goals scored and 0.76 goals conceded per match.
• Raków have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions.
• The Polish club average 1.50 goals scored and 1.18 goals conceded per match.