Legia vs Betis prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-10-02 16:45.
[p]With this year’s UEFA Conference League final taking place at Poland’s Wrocław Stadium, Legia Warsaw have all the motivation they need to go further in this edition than their knockout round play-offs berth in 2023/24. They will kick off matchday one of the all-new league format of the Conference League with their inaugural meeting with Spain’s Real Betis.[/p]
[p]In order to get off to a flying start, Legia will need to end some poor domestic form that has seen them fail to win their three games (D1, L2). It’s perhaps not the ideal preparation or timing to take on a Spanish club, particularly as they have won only one of their ten fixtures against Spanish opposition (D3, L6), though an entertaining 3-3 draw at home to Real Madrid in 2016/17 shows what they have been capable of in the past.[/p]
[p]Betis were another side who made it to the knockout round play-offs of this competition last season, eventually losing to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 on aggregate. They qualified for their maiden Conference League group/league stage appearance (following three consecutive Europa League group stages) very comfortably by beating Ukrainian club FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih 5-0 on aggregate score over a two-legged play-off. [/p]
[p]They’ll be favourites heading into this one, but their hosts will be aware of Manuel Pellegrini side’s tetchy travelling form, with his side having triumphed in just one of their last six away games (D5, L1). Despite also having won just two of their last five away games in UEFA competitions (D1, L2), they have often excelled defensively after conceding no more than a single goal in each of those five UEFA away trips.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Legia forward Tomáš Pekhart recorded three goals across his side’s last five European outings and will be used to Spanish opposition having previously featured for UD Las Palmas. Meanwhile, expect more danger from Betis’ Giovani Lo Celso with no player from Europe’s top five leagues scoring more domestic league goals in September than his five.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Eight of the last nine Conference League goals conceded by Legia came before half-time.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Luke Bridle[/i][/p]