Conference League draw: Aberdeen have it tough as Rangers and Hearts can testify but plenty to look forward to

Aberdeen were always likely to have it tough as a pot 4 team in the Europa Conference League group stages and so it proved as they were drawn alongside strong opposition from Germany, Greece and Finland.

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson looks dejected at full time after the defeat to BK Hacken but can now look forward to group stage football in the Europa Conference League. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

The Dons will face two sides who have already shown that they are capable of inflicting heartache on Scottish clubs in the shape of Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt and Greek side POAK – as Rangers and Hearts will testify.

Frankfurt won the Europa League in 2022 after defeating Rangers in the final on penalties while PAOK secured their place in this year’s Conference League group stages by knocking out Hearts in the play-off round with an emphatic 6-1 aggregate scoreline including a 4-0 demolition job on home soil.

Finnish champions HJK Helsinki make up the group and will be the second Scandinavian side Aberdeen have faced in Europe this season after the 5-3 aggregate defeat to Swedish title winners BK Hacken in the Europa League play-off round.

It may not have been the prize they wanted, but the parachute into the Conference League, secured by virtue of finishing third in last term's Scottish Premiership, will provide the Pittodrie outfit with European group stage football for the first time in 15 years.

While sure to be difficult, Barry Robson's side can look forward to some interesting trips with a level of excitement and hope, and, as the lowest-ranked side in the group, without the weight of expectation. Home form will be key if they are to upset the odds and finish inside the top two which will be the requirement to progress into the knock-out play-off round and extend their European adventure beyond Christmas.

Frankfurt are the top ranked team in the competition – their club coefficient boosted considerably by last year’s Europa League win – but they finished seventh in the Bundesliga last term to take the last European spot on offer in the German top flight.

They have lost six of their stars from the side that started the win over Rangers in Seville 18 months ago with a seventh, striker Rafael Borre, closing in on a deadline day move to Werder Bremen. However, they have spent £50m on reinforcements this summer and will be a force to be reckoned with. They are also under new management after parting company with Oliver Glasner and replacing him with former Bayern Munich assistant Dino Toppmöller.

Frankfurt’s home arena, the 51,500 capacity Deutsche Bank Park, is renowned for its atmosphere and with an away allocation of at least 2,500, a trip to Germany’s fifth-largest city promises to be a memorable one for Dons fans.

Robson may look to tap into knowledge of POAK from Hearts counterpart Steven Naismith. While the away leg was painful viewing, Aberdeen can take encouragement from the fact Hearts put up a good show against Răzvan Lucescu’s side at home and were unfortunate to lose that match 2-1.

Helsinki, meanwhile, are two-thirds through the season in Finland and on course to win their fourth successive title as they currently lead the Veikkausliiga table by a point from KuPS. They replaced their manager in July, parting company with Toni Koskela after a sticky run of results and replacing him with Toni Korkeakunnas.

They were eliminated from Champions League qualifying by Molde, then Europa League qualifying by Qarabag, before finally winning a tie at the third attempt by defeating Romanian outfit FCV Farul Constanța in the Conference League play-off round.