Basel vs Pyunik Yerevan prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2022-09-07 19:00.
Returning for a second successive UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) campaign might provide some welcome relief for Basel, with a furious Alex Frei demanding more from his players after their last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Sion last weekend. The manager described his side’s first-half performance in that game as “catastrophic”, before admitting it’s time to “tackle and solve” the “problems” they’ve had since the start of the season.
The Swiss side have picked up only six points from as many games in the Super League this season (W1, D3, L2) with that sole win coming against Zürich last month. However, Basel have often been convincing in this competition, having won nine out of ten UECL home games whilst also going unbeaten in last season’s group stages (W4, D2), although they would eventually succumb 4-2 on aggregate to Marseille in the Round of 16.
Basel welcome Armenian opposition for the first time as they host Pyunik Yerevan at St. Jakob-Park. Yegishe Melikyan’s side are making their debut in the group stages of a European competition, though it has taken a whopping eight games for them to get this far, as defeats in UEFA Champions League and Europa League (UEL) qualifying saw them drop into the UECL.
The Armenian champions don’t have a great away record in continental football, playing 34 matches and winning just seven (D6, L21) but they’ll likely be boosted by winning their last two domestic encounters, beating Noah and Lernayin Artsakh. In fact, they’ve only conceded one goal in their last six matches in all competitions, including a pair of clean sheets against Sheriff in their UEL penalties play-off defeat, so it might be their defensive solidity which causes problems for Basel here.
Players to watch: Midfielder Fabian Frei has struck twice in his last three UECL qualifiers for Basel and will now look to add to his tally of 13 goals in European competition. Meanwhile, Pyunik’s Alexander González spent four years in Switzerland with three clubs but failed to beat Basel in six attempts (D1, L5).
Hot stat: Pyunik have only scored in two of their last eleven matches in European football.