Highlighted: Experienced Utrecht Faces Newcomer Go Ahead Eagles

FC Utrecht, favored due to their experience in the European Play-offs, struggled last Thursday until Victor Jensen's decisive goal against Sparta Rotterdam. Meanwhile, Go Ahead Eagles, who entered the Play-offs as the lowest-ranked team (9th), defeated the highest-ranked team in the semi-finals (N.E.C., 6th). This makes the team from Deventer the first to reach the final after finishing ninth in the regular season since RKC Waalwijk in 2011/12. Since the introduction of the current European Play-offs format in 2009, no team that finished so low in the regular season has ever qualified for European football. René Hake's Go Ahead Eagles, making their first appearance in the European Play-offs final, have the chance to make history.

On the other hand, home team FC Utrecht is a regular fixture in the final of the European Play-offs. The Domstedelingen have been on the verge of European football qualification more often (8 times) than any other team. Additionally, they have Ron Jans, a specialist in these Play-offs, at the helm. After securing a ticket for the Conference League Play-offs with FC Twente last season and qualifying for the UEFA Cup Play-offs with FC Groningen in 2007, Jans is just one victory away from becoming the most successful coach in European Play-offs history. Currently, he shares this distinction with Dick Advocaat, Gertjan Verbeek, and John van den Brom (all with 2 victories each).

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