Royale Union SG vs Fenerbahce prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-03-06 20:00.
Belgian outfit Royale Union Saint-Gilloise continue to punch above their weight on the European stage, showing tremendous maturity to overturn a two-goal deficit and eliminate Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) knockout play-off round. Since drawing the first leg of that tie, Les Unionistes have won five successive matches and should head into this first-ever clash with Turkish opposition full of confidence as a result.
Alexander Blessin’s men sit eight points clear at the Belgian summit and will be keen to add a second successive European quarter-final to their domestic dominance by seeing off Fenerbahçe. The first leg falling at home should work to their advantage as they’ve lost just two of their last 11 European games as hosts (W6, D3), including a famous victory over six-time European champions Liverpool in December.
Turkish giants Fenerbahçe make for fearsome opposition to that record, as after a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Nordsjælland in the UECL group stage, they’ve lost just once in 19 competitive matches (W15, D3). That helped İsmail Kartal’s men top their group and earn them this last 16 tie, which the away fans should cherish given their side’s dominant H2H record against Belgian opposition (W4, D3, L1).
That includes an active six-match unbeaten streak (W4, D2), and as the Yellow Canaries have lost just three of their previous 13 away matches in European competition (W7, D3), this trip is unlikely to faze them. Two of those defeats did come in this year’s UECL however, with Fenerbahce conceding eight goals and netting just one themselves!
Players to watch: Gustaf Nilsson is a man in form for Union, directly contributing to seven goals in his last ten appearances (G4, A3), including the equaliser against Frankfurt in his side’s last European home game. After being consigned to the bench for much of the group stage, Fenerbahçe marksman Edin Džeko is set to play a prominent role here looking to build on an already-impressive 22 goals this season.
Hot stat: Of the 11 goals Union Saint-Gilloise have conceded in Europe this season, eight have come before half-time.