Vikingur Reykjavik vs Borac Banja Luka prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-11-06 14:30.
[p]After beginning the last round of UEFA Conference League fixtures at the bottom of the table, Víkingur Reykjavík have leapt up to 22nd ahead of Thursday’s clash with Borac Banka Luka in 11th. Despite the Bosnian side being further up in the standings, the Icelanders are unlikely to have many fears approaching the game as they saw off previous table-toppers Cercle Brugge 3-1 on Matchday 2.[/p]
[p]Those three points were picked up in spite of going a goal down after 16 minutes and missing a penalty in first half stoppage time, but two goals in the closing stages of the game means that Arnar Gunnlaugsson’s side will begin this fixture defending a proud European record on Icelandic soil of only one defeat (W7, D3) since the start of the 2022/23 season. It’s a run which is all the more impressive as they failed to win any of their previous six![/p]
[p]Borac have four points so far in this Conference League campaign and, although they are one of six teams to have seen only three match goals across their two games, they are the highest placed of the lot! The Red-Blues travelled to Nicosia in the last round and returned home with three points after a 1-0 win, a result which means they are unbeaten across their last two European away games, something they had never achieved in their previous 13. [/p]
[p]Life on the road is something Mladen Žižović’s team have got used to over the last fortnight as this match will be their fourth successive away fixture across all competitions. It may be their first visit to Iceland, but Borac are unlikely to travel with trepidation after keeping two clean sheets and winning two (D1) of those matches.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Danijel Djuric was a key figure against Cercle Brugge, assisting Víkingur’s equaliser before missing the penalty and then going on to put them 2-1 up! For the visitors, Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Velež Mostar was the first away game of the season that Đorđe Despotović has not either scored or been booked. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Borac conceded a second-half goal in only one of their last 15 games across all competitions.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]