Club Brugge and Besiktas will be targeting a positive start when they clash in their Group D opener in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Besiktas are always difficult opponents but the Belgians have plenty of European experience and should have the upper hand on Thursday.
Club Brugge have built some European experience in recent times having featured in the group stage of the Champions League in the last two seasons. They even reached the round of 16 in last season’s competition, progressing from a group that included heavyweights like Porto and Atletico Madrid.
However, a poor campaign last season saw Club Brugge finish fourth in the Jupiler Pro League and drop to the Europa Conference League. They came through the qualifiers in fine style, claiming four wins from six matches and did the double over Spanish side Osasuna in the playoffs for a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Club Brugge head into Thursday’s clash in fine form as they are unbeaten in their last nine matches, claiming seven wins in that run. However, a 4-2 victory over Sporting Charleroi last weekend highlighted a defensive problem for Ronny Deila’s men, who have now conceded in each of their last six matches across all competitions.
Besiktas earned a place in the Europa Conference League after finishing third in the Turkish Super Lig. They maintained a 100% record in the qualifiers and did the double over Dinamo Kiev in the playoffs for a 4-2 aggregate victory.
While Besiktas have impressed in the Conference League qualifiers, Dinamo Kiev are the only solid opponents they have faced so far. Their erratic showings in the Super Lig suggests they may struggle against qualifiers opposition with Senol Gunes’ men claiming just two wins in four matches.
Besiktas head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Trabzonspor in a Super Lig fixture last weekend. They saw plenty of possession but struggled to find the cutting edge in attack, finishing with just a single attempt on target.
How the bookies view it
Club Brugge have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at evens with 10bet. A victory for Besiktas is valued at 27/10 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 11/4 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
There have been three previous meetings between both teams with Club Brugge claiming two wins while Besiktas have been victorious just once. The Belgians did the double in the round of 16 of the 2014-15 Europa League, claiming a 2-1 victory against home before winning 3-1 in Turkey.
Players to watch
Andreas Skov Olsen has been impressive for Club Brugge this season with seven goals in his last seven matches across all competitions. The Danish forward has also found the net in his last three Conference League matches and is priced at 11/4 by Paddy Power to maintain his scoring run.
Vincent Aboubakar was the star of the show for Besiktas during the qualifiers, scoring in five of the six matches. The Cameroon striker could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net on Thursday at 5/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the quality in the Club Brugge and Besiktas attack, both teams could be backed to score on Thursday at 8/11 with William Hill. The Belgians saw over 3.5 goals in their fixture last weekend and could be set for a repeat at 2/1 by BetVictor while William Hill is offering odds of 17/29 for over 2.5 goals.
Club Brugge scored in both halves in their outing last weekend and Thursday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Club Brugge and Besiktas will be played on Sep 21, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Club Brugge vs Besiktas prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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