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Steffen Schmidt - July 12, 2023
Zilina vs Levadia
UEFA Conference League Qualification
Date: 13 July 2023, Thursday
Kick-off at 16:30 UK / 17:30 CET
Venue: Stadion Pod Dubnom (Zilina).
Zilina and Levadia had their famous moments back in the late 2000s and early 2010s when they represented serious threats on European scene during the summers.
Nevertheless, both teams have been struggling to make a step up on the continental scene in the last decade.
They will now begin their new UEFA Europa Conference League adventures against each other. The first leg of the first qualifying round is scheduled for this Thursday afternoon and will be played at Stadion Pod Dubnom in Zilina.
The hosts are the favorites both on the day and over two legs but their recent European results do little to instill optimism into the eyes of the bettors.
Zilina, who played the Champions League group with Chelsea, Marseille, and Spartak Moscow back in 2010/11, have generally struggled to get past the maiden rivals in Europe in recent years.
They managed to take advantage of the somewhat easier draw to make it to the Conference League playoffs last season but only to suffer two tough defeats to Czech side Jablonec (1-8 on aggregate).
Levadia have been even worse lately, though. The visitors were eliminated by the likes of Vikingur Reykjavik in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League with a 1-6 defeat in one leg.
They then succumbed to Maltese side Hibernians 3-4 on aggregate in the second round of the Conference League qualifications.
Nonetheless, it is worth noting that Levadia’s players should be in a much better rhythm given they are midway through the season in the domestic league.
The visitors are running good in Meistriliiga, currently sitting at the very top of the standings with 14 wins, 5 draws, and just 1 loss in 20 outings (39-9 goal difference).
This is a tough game to call. Zilina are the favorites on paper and we do fancy them knowing how dreadful Levadia have been lately in Europe. That said, the visitors are in a much better competitive rhythm.
We can hardly see the value in backing Zilina at the 1.60 odds which is why Levadia or draw double chance pick is our way to go at the 2.15 odds. Also, we do not trust Zilina’s back line as it looked horrendous in recent preseason exhibitions. The Both Teams To Score pick is paid at the 2.00 odds.
