HJK vs Din. Minsk prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-10-23 19:00.
[p]After finishing last in their winless UEFA Conference League group stage campaign last term (D2, L4), HJK Helsinki showed no signs of improvement this time round, as they started the league phase with a 3-0 defeat against Lugano on matchday one. Matters have only gotten worse for Toni Korkeakunnas’ men since then, as that result contributes to a run of four defeats in a row for HJK.[/p]
[p]What’s even more worrying is they’ve failed to score in any of those, and are without a clean sheet in each of their last eight games. HJK are clearly misfiring on all cylinders, as they did 40 years ago when they previously faced upcoming visitors Dinamo Minsk who beat them 4-0 and 6-0 in their previous two H2Hs, which kickstarted a winless run of six games against Belarussian opponents (D1, L5). [/p]
[p]Dinamo Minsk didn’t cover themselves in glory in their Conference League opener either, losing 2-1 to Scottish side Hearts to make it four defeats in a row in Europe this season. Perhaps Vadim Skripchenko’s men are due a change in fortune on the continental circuit, since all four of those defeats came via a slender one-goal margin. [/p]
[p]That’s just the tip of the iceberg with regard to close calls in Europe, as only three of their last 18 games in Europe have been decided by a margin of two or more goals. They seem to leave themselves very little room for error regardless of the setting, as their all-or-nothing approach has resulted in just one draw across their last 23 matches (W16, L6). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: HJK’s Luke Plange opened his European account by scoring at Dečić in August, and he’ll be looking to bring those heroics to the Bolt Arena since his five goals prior were all scored at home. After missing the Hearts game through injury, Dinamo Minsk will be happy to welcome back Pavel Sedko. He often proves influential, netting the match opener in four of his last five goalscoring outings. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only two of Dinamo Minsk’s last 11 matches saw both teams score.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Peter Stavrinou[/i][/p]