FC Copenhagen vs Hearts prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-12-11 17:45.
[p]Unbeaten since their opening game of October (W6, D6), Copenhagen will be targeting a fifth successive victory across all competitions in the same season for the first time since August 2023 when they host Hearts in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday. While form on the domestic front has been near-perfect of late, there’s still work to do in Europe where progression is far from assured.[/p]
[p]Copenhagen were made to wait until matchday four for their first win of the Conference League campaign (D2, L1), winning 2-1 at Dinamo Minsk. But with their gap to the chasing pack inside the qualification places standing at just one point pre-round, the margin for error is slim for Jacob Neestrup’s men as they look to build on a mixed record against Scottish opposition (W3, D4, L3).[/p]
[p]Hearts’ only success on the road in this competition also came against Dinamo Minsk, so victory in Copenhagen would see them pick up two away victories in the same European campaign for the first time since 1988/89. The Jam Tarts sit a point above their hosts heading into this clash and on course for the knockout stages despite suffering consecutive 2-0 defeats against Heidenheim and Cercle Brugge.[/p]
[p]It has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for head coach Neil Critchley, who took over in mid-October and began with a three match unbeaten run (W2, D1) which included a 2-0 Conference League win over Omonia. Hearts then went on to lose five of the next six (W1), but there are signs of a resurgence after a 2-0 victory over Dundee on Saturday lifted Hearts off the bottom of the table at the expense of rivals Hibernian.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Midfielder Thomas Delaney has scored in Copenhagen’s last two games as well as getting an assist in their last home match. He has also been keeping the referees busy, picking up a booking in three of his last four appearances. Skipper Lawrence Shankland ended a 13-game scoring drought for club and country by getting both of Hearts’ goals against Dundee – his last strike on the road came back in May against St Mirren.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Thirteen of Copenhagen’s last 14 matches saw both teams score (W7, D6, L1).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]