SC Freiburg vs Motherwell

This is a first-ever meeting between the clubs, and for Motherwell it's a shot at reaching the Conference League's league phase for the first time in their history. Freiburg arrive having dropped into this competition after finishing seventh in the Bundesliga and losing last season's Europa League final to Aston Villa, so there's an expectation gap between the two sides even before a ball is kicked in the return leg. Freiburg looked sharp in preseason, beating Crystal Palace 3-0, and will lean on top scorer Igor Matanović, who hit 15 goals last campaign, alongside Yuito Suzuki. Motherwell opened their Premiership season with a 2-1 win over Hibernian but were then bounced out of the League Cup by Stenhousemuir, before steadying themselves with a 2-0 win over HJK Helsinki to reach this playoff. Striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos leads their attack. The tie kicks off with the first leg at Fir Park on 20 August, before this second leg in Freiburg decides who advances. Our prediction: 2-1