Larne vs Gent prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-12-18 20:00.
[p]Pride is on the line for Northern Irish champions Larne, who are the only team in the UEFA Conference League yet to earn a single point (L5). A disastrous performance on their debut in the main draw of a UEFA competition is married up perfectly with a desperate domestic campaign in which the Inver Reds have plummeted into the bottom four of the NIFL Premiership.[/p]
[p]There’s been further upheaval this week, with recently-appointed manager Nathan Rooney replaced at the helm as he doesn’t have the necessary licences to take charge in the Conference League. He has instead been switched to a head of football role, with Gary Haveron the man tasked with lifting Larne off the foot of the table. One consolation the home fans can take ahead of matchday six is that both of their goals in the league phase came in home matches, despite playing away from their normal home of Inver Park.[/p]
[p]Visitors Gent will be keen to take advantage of their hosts’ woes as they eye a top-eight finish, having already secured at worst a place in the play-offs with a 3-0 win over TSC on matchday five. The Buffalos will be especially keen to avoid a play-off given that they were eliminated at that stage of this competition by Maccabi Haifa last season, but to do that they’ll need to arrest a worrying run of form on their travels.[/p]
[p]Gent have lost both of their Conference League away matches this season by a two-goal margin, while their active nine-match winless run on the road across all competitions is their joint-longest such streak this century (D4, L5)! But this seems a great opportunity to end that run, as they have scored twice on their last two trips (D1, L1) and won both previous meetings with Northern Irish opposition.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Chris Gallagher is the only player to score for Larne in the Conference League proper this season (G1), though that was his only strike since April. Gent’s Omri Gandelman will battle him for midfield supremacy, looking to continue a streak of directly contributing to a goal in four successive matches (G2, A2).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Just one of Larne’s last six matches saw both teams score.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]