Pogon Szczecin vs Linfield
UEFA Europa League Conference, KO: 17:00 Aug 3, 2023, Stadion Florian Krygier
Pogon Szczecin are looking to do the double over Linfield as both teams meet in the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League second round tie. The Polish side hold a solid advantage from the first leg and with Linfield looking out of sorts at the moment, another comfortable home win could be on the cards.
Pogon Szczecin were in imperious form in the first leg as they eased to a 5-2 victory. They raced to a two-goal lead before the break thanks to efforts from Kamil Grosicki and Joao Gamboa while Mariusz Melec, Efthymious Koulouris and Mariusz Fornalczyk added further goals in the second half.
The Polish side followed up that result with a 2-1 victory over Widzew Lodz in a domestic fixture last weekend with Koulouris once again in target. The result means Jens Gustafsson’s men have now won four of their last five matches across all competitions.
Home form is often vital for Pogon Szczecin, who have won their last six matches at Stadion Florian Krygier. They have scored at least two goals in each of those six wins but have kept just one clean sheet in that run.
Linfield were not at their best in the first meeting as they were second best throughout the contest. They went into the break with a two-goal deficit with second half efforts from Daniel Finlayson and Ben Hall ultimately proving to be mere consolations.
The result is in keeping with Linfield recent struggles as they have now lost their last three matches across all competitions. David Healy’s men head into Thursday’s second leg off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Bangor in a club friendly.
A major problem for Linfield is that they have a poor record on their travels in the Conference League having failed to win in their last four away matches. They were beaten 1-0 by Albanian side Vllaznia Shkoder in their previous away fixture in the competition.
How the bookies view it
Pogon Szczecin are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 3/10 by BetVictor. An unlikely win for Linfield is valued at 15/2 by William Hill while BoyleSports is offering odds of 9/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Last week’s clash was the first ever meeting between Pogon Szczecin and Linfield.
Players to watch
Efthymios Koulouris has been in good form for Pogon Szczecin lately, scoring in his last two matches. The forward should have support from Kamil Grosicki and Luka Zahovic and all three men can ensure the hosts produce over 1.5 goals at 1/2 by bet365.
Linfield’s hopes will lie in taking advantage of Pogon Szczecin’s defensive vulnerability. They will be looking to Matthews Fitzpatrick and Kyle McClean to provide the spark in attack and both men can combine to produce over 0.5 goals at 5/6 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a seven-goal thriller in the first meeting and another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 9/5 by Unibet, over 2.5 goals is priced at 7/10 by bet365, who is also offering odds of 6/5 on over 2.5 goals.
Pogon Szczecin are expected to be dominant on Thursday and could be backed in the -1-handicap market at 10/11 with William Hill. They scored in both halves in the first leg and Thursday’s clash could also be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Pogon Szczecin and Linfield will be played on Aug 3, 2023 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Pogon Szczecin vs Linfield prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
