Legia vs Molde prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-02-21 20:00.
Legia Warsaw must have felt that their hopes of remaining in this season’s UEFA Europa Conference League were hanging by a thread when they trailed 3-0 at Molde after 24 minutes of their knockout play-off first leg. But they managed to get the score back to 3-2 ahead of the return fixture, boosting their hopes of reaching the last 16 of a European competition for the first time since the Polish outfit got to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League 28 years ago.
Kosta Runjaić’s men may be encouraged by the fact that in all seven of their games during the Conference League proper this term, the home team on the day has scored the opener whilst going on to claim victory in six of those seven matches (L1). However, Legia’s loss at Molde means that they have now failed to win all of the nine European post group-stage knockout fixtures in their history (D3, L6).
Molde’s triumph over Legia last Thursday was just their third outing of 2024 and, after last year finishing a desperately disappointing fifth in the Norwegian league and being eliminated at this point of the Conference League, Erling Moe and his squad should certainly not be short of motivation this campaign.
One could expect an early goal at Stadion Wojska Polskiego after the opener in each of Molde’s last four matches came inside the first 15 minutes, and it’ll be of great benefit if it goes to the visitors as the Scandinavians have won each of their last seven games after going 1-0 up. That said, the jittery second half in the first leg against Legia is the latest example of Moe’s side being defensively vulnerable, having kept only one clean sheet in their last eight competitive encounters.
Players to watch: Legia’s Blaž Kramer has registered three goal involvements in his last five appearances (G2, A1) despite starting just twice in that time, with three of his last five goals scored coming after the 80th minute. Molde’s Fredrik Gulbrandsen has netted four times in five games and could precede Kramer for individual success, as six of his last seven strikes arrived in the opening 20 minutes!
Hot stat: All but one of Molde’s last 17 outings produced over 1.5 total goals.