UECL Preview: Racing look to edge Brøndby
With a squad packed with summer recruits, Liam Rosenior leads his young side into UEFA Conference action as they look to advance past Danish side Brøndby into the competition proper.
Returns for Penders and Høgsberg
After a nervy draw that saw the Alsatians dominate at home but come away with a scoreless draw, Rosenior will hope to record a third clean sheet, and do so thanks to the return of both his number one goalkeeper -- loanee Mike Penders -- and key defender Lucas Høgbsberg. Both missed the weekend's win over FC Nantes through injury, and their returns -- particularly that of the preternaturally composed Høgsberg -- will surely be a boon to Racing.
In other news, the team were glad to have signed Ismaël Doukouré to an extension through 2028, ensuring that a valuable and versatile member of their squad stays at La Meinau, having seen of interest from a number of foreign sides. Pre-match, though, Doukouré -- who impressed mightily on Sunday -- was all business, preferring to focus on a vital European match rather than his own situation, saying, "I feel very good in this squad, which I've known for some time Today, I'm here to talk about this match, which is my first European away trip and one in which the main thing will be to believe in ourselves and qualify."
🤙✌️ Next stop, Denmark! 🤙✌️#BIFRCSA #UECL pic.twitter.com/kIU4XL6U4S
— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace English (@RCSA_English) August 27, 2025
"We do this job to experience moments like this"
Despite Rosenior's bravura, it's clear that their more experienced opponents will be well up for this match, as veteran midfielder Daniel Wass expressed. The former Evian playmaker expressed that "Strasbourg will be under more pressure than us -- a lot more." That said, even with Brøndby having rested several players at the weekend, they're still without the suspended young winger Clement Bischoff, and will be hard-pressed to break down a Racing defence that is yet to concede in three competitive matches this season.
Predicted lineups:
Brøndby IF: (3-4-3): Pentz; Klaiber, Lauritsen, Binks; Divkovic, Wass, Tahirovic, Köhlert; Nartey, Bundgaard, Valbys
RC Strasbourg (3-4-3): Penders; Sarr, Høgsberg, Doukouré; Amo-Ameyaw (or Bakwa), Barco Mwanga (or Lemarechal), Moreira; Panichelli, Emegha, Nanasi
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