David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Viktoria Plzen
Anderlecht
One of the matches of the 7th round of the UEFA Europa League group stage will take place on Thursday at the "Doosan Arena" in Plzeň, where the local Viktoria will face Belgian Anderlecht. I propose a bet on goals in this match with good chances of success.
Match preview
In the last round, Miroslav Koubek's side suffered a setback, losing 1-2 at home to Manchester United. This defeat ended their impressive 9-match unbeaten streak in the Europa League (6 wins and 3 draws). Remarkably, this was only the third time in the last 14 games of this tournament that Viktoria conceded more than one goal.
Despite the loss, the Czech team confidently holds 17th place in the standings with 9 points and maintains realistic chances of advancing to the playoffs regardless of the outcome of the upcoming match. Notably, Viktoria has lost only one of their last 15 home games in the competition. The team prepared for this match through friendly games, securing two wins out of three against Piast Gliwice and AIK.
Meanwhile, in the previous round, Anderlecht achieved an important away victory, defeating Slavia Prague 2-1. This success extended Anderlecht's impressive unbeaten streak in the Europa League to ten matches (6 wins and 4 draws). Notably, this was the fifth time in the current tournament that the Belgian side scored exactly two goals in a game.
The team currently sits third in the standings with 14 points and has already secured a spot in the playoffs. Furthermore, they are still in contention for a direct ticket to the Round of 16. It's worth noting that Anderlecht is confident on the road, remaining unbeaten in their last five away Europa League matches, with three wins and two draws. Over the weekend, the club secured a 2-0 away win against Kortrijk in the Belgian championship.
Probable lineups
- Viktoria Plzeň: Jedlička, Jemelka, Markovič, Paluška, Jirka, Červ, Kalvach, Kádu, Schulz, Panosh, Adu.
- Anderlecht: Coosemans, Maamar, Šimić, Lapage, Sadella, Leoni, Dendoncker, Rits, Amuzu, Dolberg, Dreyer.
Match facts and head-to-head
- The "Both teams to score" bet succeeded in three of Viktoria Plzeň's last five matches.
- The "Over 2.5 goals" bet succeeded in only two of Anderlecht's last five matches.
- The teams have not previously faced each other in European competitions.
Prediction
Bookmakers favor Viktoria in this matchup, giving the hosts odds of 2.30. Considering the winter break in the Czech league, Viktoria is unlikely to play an overly aggressive game. Our bet is "Total Under 3.0" at odds of 1.60.
