O. Ljubljana vs Klaksvik prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-08 20:00.
It’s fair to say Olimpija Ljubljana have found life tough after qualifying for the group stages of a European competition for the first time in their history. The Slovenian champions are yet to score a single goal after three matches, with three successive UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) defeats meaning they sit bottom of Group A.
Such results mean their failure to qualify out the group could be sealed here and also contributed to the sacking of manager João Henriques, who lasted only four-and-a-half months in the role before being dismissed in mid-October. He has been replaced by Zoran Zeljković, and form has improved somewhat since the former Slovenian international took up the post, with the Dragons losing just one of their five outings under his leadership, keeping four clean sheets in the process (W3, D1, L1).
The concern for Ljubljana is that their sole defeat during that run was a 3-0 hammering at the hands of opponents for this match, Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. That was a historic win for Magne Hoseth’s side, who come from a village with a population of just 5,000 people and became the first team in the history of Faroe Islands football to register a victory in the group stages of a European competition.
Indeed, October turned out to be a pretty good month for the club, as they were crowned domestic champions for the third year running, finishing seven points clear of the second place despite losing 2-1 to Vikingur in their final outing. They have still won four of their last eight games though (D3, L1), and will now be hoping to push on towards a place in the UECL knock-out stages, having picked up four points from their three matches so far (W1, D1, L1).
Key battle: Ljubljana striker Rui Pedro has won 13 of the last 14 fixtures in which he has scored (D1). Attempting to thwart him may be defender Vegard Forren, although he has helped his side keep only one clean sheet in his last eight away European matches.
Hot streak: Only one of Ljubljana’s last eight matches across all competitions has seen both teams score.