Gent vs Basaksehir prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-03-08 20:00.
Though perhaps not the great scalp it once was, Gent’s 1-0 Belgian Pro League victory over Anderlecht at the weekend moved them closer to the fourth and final Championship round spot. Whilst they remain in a precarious position domestically, their attention must quickly shift back to the UEFA Europa Conference League’s (UECL) Round of 16, the hurdle at which they fell in last season’s UECL.
A wave of injuries in such a hectic part of the season threatens to unravel Gent’s campaign, with this the first of four games in 11 days for the Belgian side. Those injuries have perhaps arrived at the most inopportune time considering each of Gent’s last three Round of 16 ties in UEFA competition saw them lose the home leg, a trend they’ll likely need to buck here ahead of next week’s second leg considering they’re winless from six UECL away games.
While Gent’s schedule has been hectic, İstanbul Başakşehir’s has been anything but. This will be just their third competitive game since the beginning of February. Both of those prior outings have ended in 1-0 defeats, most recently against Alanyaspor on Friday, as Başakşehir now consider the prospect of losing three straight competitive away games for the first time since October 2021.
That’s a rather sobering prospect for the Turkish outfit, but having gone unbeaten in five of their six (W4, D1, L1) UECL away games this term from qualification through to the end of the group stage, they should be confident of arresting that slide. In fact, Başakşehir have made the UECL their own, tasting defeat just once in UEFA’s third-tier club competition (W8, D3), which should boost belief that they can extend their four-match unbeaten run against Belgian opposition in European competition (W2, D2 inc qualifiers).
Players to watch: Gift Orban has been Gent’s hero in their last two victories, scoring the game’s only goal after half-time in both. Three is the magic number as far as Stefano Okaka is concerned, with Başakşehir recording exactly three goals in five of his last six scoring appearances.
Hot streak: None of Gent’s UECL home games this term have seen both teams score.