Istanbul Basaksehir vs KAA Gent
UEFA Europa League Conference, KO: 17:00 Mar 15, 2023, Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium
Istanbul Basaksehir host KAA Gent in the second leg of the Europa Conference League round of 16 with the tie still perfectly in the balance.
Istanbul Basaksehir did well to avoid defeat in the first meeting with Gent as they held out for a 1-1 draw. They took an early lead through Stefano Okaka but were quickly pegged back by the Belgian side.
While manager Emre Belozoglu will be pleased to have something to build on, Istanbul Basaksehir’s overall form has been troubling lately. They are winless in their last five matches across all competitions and were beaten 2-0 at home by Besiktas in a domestic fixture last Sunday.
Despite losing to Besiktas, Istanbul Basaksehir will be feeling confident as they had claimed three straight home wins prior to Sunday’s clash. The Turks are also unbeaten at home in the competition and head into Wednesday’s clash with four wins in their last five matches in front of their fans.
Gent will be disappointed not to have claimed the advantage from the first leg. They struck back quickly through Gift Orban after going behind but despite dominating the possession and creating several goal scoring chances, had to settle for a share of the spoils.
The Belgian side will travel to Istanbul with some confidence having suffered just one defeat in their last six matches cross all competitions. The have claimed four wins in that run, including a 6-2 victory at Zulte Waregem in a First Division fixture on Sunday.
However, the problem for Gent is that they have not been particularly convincing on their travels with the result at Zulte Waregem ending a run of three defeats and a draw in four away matches. Hein Vanhaezebrouk’s men have also failed to win any of their matches on the road in the Conference League this season.
How the bookies view it
Istanbul Basaksehir have the upper had among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for Gent is valued at 13/5 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 11/5 with Paddy Power.
Head to head
Last weeks clash was the first ever meeting between Istanbul Basaksehir and KAA Gent.
Players to watch
Stefano Okaka had been one of the stars for Istanbul Basaksehir in the Conference League this season and has found the net three times in his last four matches in the competition. Bet365 had the striker at odds of 8/5 to maintain his scoring run on Wednesday.
Gift Orban has also impressed for Gent in recent weeks and heads into Wednesday’s clash with six goals in his last three matches across all competitions. The attacker is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet once again.
Anything else catch the eye?
Istanbul Basaksehir and Gent have quality in attack and with both teams on target in the first leg, a similar outcome can be expected on Wednesday at 10/11 with bet365. There were over 3.5 goals in Basaksehir’s previous home fixture in the Europa League and a repeat is valued at 3/1 with Paddy Power, who are also offering 6/5 for over 2.5 goals.
The Turks have scored in both halves in their last two home matches in the Conference League and could be set for a repeat at 11/4 with Unibet.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Istanbul Basaksehir and KAA Gent will be played on Mar 15, 2023 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Istanbul Basaksehir vs KAA Gent prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
