Trabzonspor vs Basel prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-02-15 17:45.
A third-place finish in Group H of their UEFA Europa League (UEL) campaign has granted reigning Turkish Süper Lig champions Trabzonspor entry into this season's Europa Conference League (UECL) Knockout Round Play-Offs, as they bid to advance further in UEFA competition than ever before. Their last three attempts in the knockout phases of European competition have all come in the UEL Round of 32, where they’ve alarmingly suffered defeat in all six of those matches.
Breaking through that barrier against Switzerland’s Basel will likely require a monumental performance in this first-leg at home, as while Trabzonspor won all their home games (W3) in UEL Group H they went on to lose all of their away fixtures (L3)! Their history with Basel almost mirrors those recent European results too, but having drawn 2-2 at home and lost 2-0 away in the 2019/20 UEL group stages, they know they must better those H2H results if they are to progress into uncharted European territory.
Meanwhile, Basel are experienced participants in European competition, having competed on the continental stage in some form or another in every season since 1999/00, but they did fall at the Round of 16 stage in this competition last term. Their ticket to the Knockout Round Play-Offs this season was punched via a runners-up finish in UECL Group H, taking their current tally of UECL matches to 26, a competition record.
They’ve had a change of management since the group stages though, with Alexander Frei’s tenure coming to an end and the club's sporting director Heiko Vogel taking over on an interim basis. That looks to have been an astute decision after Basel got back to winning ways in Vogel’s first match with a 3-1 win over Sion in the Swiss Super League, which could be the perfect curtain raiser to continue their fine away from in the UECL proper where they’ve lost only one of seven away assignments (W3, D3).
Players to watch: Anastasios Bakasetas was Trabzonspor’s chief destroyer in the UEL Group Stages (G3, A4), and will look to make an immediate impact here considering eight of his last ten club goals have served as his side’s opener. A happy traveller, Basel’s Andi Zeqiri has scored eight of his last 13 goals away from home.
Hot stat: There’s been goals scored in both halves in nine of Trabzonspor’s last 11 matches.