Basel vs Nice prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-04-12 19:00.
As if the pressure of a European quarter-final isn’t enough, both Switzerland’s FC Basel and France’s Nice must deal with being their respective countries' final participants in any continental setting this season. The similarities stop there though, as they’ve taken contrasting routes to this season’s UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) last-eight, with Basel needing a penalty shootout after their tie with Slovan Bratislava ended 4-4 on aggregate, while Nice coasted to a 4-1 win across two legs against Sheriff Tiraspol.
After securing their quarter-final berth, Basel have only tasted victory once in their four games since (D1, L2), form which will be a worry for manager Heiko Vogel. His side’s struggles against Nice’s countrymen reared it’s ugly head again in their UECL Round of 16 loss against Marseille last season though, meaning they’ve only ever won four of their 16 encounters with French opposition (D4, L8).
Those victories all came in Switzerland however, adding to the optimism bred by the fact the RotBlau have lost just three of their last 22 European games at St. Jakob-Park (W17, D2). That could spell trouble for Nice, with this not only being their inaugural game against Swiss opposition, but also their first taste of a major European quarter-final in 63 years!
The Eaglets take flight from the southeast of France to the northwest of Switzerland having avoided defeat on their UECL travels this season (W2, D2), their longest unbeaten away run in European competition. They did experience defeat over the weekend though, with a 2-0 loss to PSG ending their remarkable 14-game unbeaten streak, but Didier Digard’s men should still be able to garner confidence from that impressive run.
Players to watch: Zeki Amdouni has scored his last four goals on the continental circuit for club and country recently, scoring home and away in Basel’s UECL Round of 16 tie, before netting in both of Switzerland’s Euro 2024 qualifiers. Meanwhile, Nice’s Terem Moffi will be looking to have his usual impact on the road, with 11 of his last 15 goals coming away from home.
Hot stat: Only one of Nice’s last 11 matches have seen a scoreless first-half.