St Patrick’s Athletic vs Istanbul Basaksehir
UEFA Europa League Conference, KO: 19:45 Aug 22, 2024, Tallaght Stadium
Istanbul Basaksehir will be targeting a first leg advantage when they travel to St Patrick’s Athletic for the Europa League Conference playoffs. The Turks have eased past their opponents in the competition and should get the better of St Patrick’s, who are not overly experienced in European competitions.
A 2-0 aggregate win over Azerbaijani side Sabah was enough to earn St Patrick’s Athletic a place in the playoffs of the Conference League. Stephen Kenny claimed 1-0 victories across the two legs to progress.
St Patrick’s Athletic do not have much experience in Europe and have never made it to the group stage of any major competition. They do head into Thursday’s clash in good form and are unbeaten in six matches, claiming four wins in that run.
It has been smooth progress for Istanbul Basaksehir in the Conference League this season, winning all four of their matches so far. They did the double over Iberia 1999 in the previous round to claim a 3-0 aggregate victory.
It has been an overall impressive start to the season for Istanbul Basaksehir, who are yet to taste defeat across all competitions so far. Cagdas Atan’s men have won five of their six matches and head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 4-2 victory over Alanyaspor in a Super Lig fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it: No contest for Basaksehir
The bookies have installed Istanbul Basaksehir as overwhelming favourites, with a win priced at 4/11 by Betfred. St Patrick’s Athletic are considered outsiders at home at 13/2 with Betfred, who is also offering 100/30 for a draw.
Head to head: No previous meetings
This will be the first ever meeting between St Patrick’s Athletic and Istanbul Basaksehir.
Players to watch: Basaksehir’s solid backline
Istanbul Basaksehir have looked solid at the back in the Europa League Conference, keeping clean sheets in their last three matches. Central defensive duo Ousseynou Ba and Jerome Opoku have impressed this season and can lead the Turks to another clean sheet at evens with Betfred.
There is also plenty of quality at the other end of the pitch for Istanbul Basaksehir with the likes of Krzysztof Piatek and Joao Figueiredo catching the eye. Both men can ensure the visitors produce over 1.5 goals at 1/2 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
St Patrick’s Athletic are not expected to make too many changes to the team that beat Sabah last time out, with Mason Melia likely to lead the line once again. Jamie Lennon is expected to feature in midfield while Joe Redmond is set to start in defence.
Joao Figueiredo came off the bench in the previous round and could be handed a start for Istanbul Basaksehir on Thursday. Piatek is also set to feature in attack while Ba and Opoku should continue their central defensive partnership.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang, Breslin, Grivosti, Redmond, Sjoeberg, Lennon, Palmer, Forrester, Mulraney, Melia, Elbouzedi
Istanbul Basaksehir: Sengezer, Ali Sahiner, Opoku, Ba, Duarte, Pelkas, Ergun, Kemen, Turuc, Figueiredo, Piatek
Anything else catch the eye?
Istanbul Basaksehir have won to nil in their last three Conference League matches and could be set for a repeat at 5/4 with Betfred. Given their attacking quality, they could also be backed to score in both halves at 11/10 with Betfred.
With Istanbul Basaksehir expected to score in both halves, they could also be backed to win both halves at 21/10 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between St Patrick’s Athletic and Istanbul Basaksehir will be played on Aug 22, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best St Patrick’s Athletic vs Istanbul Basaksehir prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
