18:00 Thursday

Basel vs Crusaders - Basel to win by 3

Basel made it to the Conference League round of 16 last season after topping their group, so will come into this game confident they can breeze past the team from Belfast. They got their 2022/23 Swiss Super League campaign off to a rocky start on Saturday, drawing against newly promoted Winterthur 1-1. They are one of the most successful Swiss clubs, having won the league 20 times but have not been champions since 2017, which was also the same last time they qualified for the Champions League. With their superior squad and budget Basel are sure to beat the crusaders, the only question is by how many?

The Crusaders reached the second round of qualifying after beating the Magpies 4-3 on aggregate. The Northern Irish team lost the first leg 2-1 but turned the tie around in the second leg with a 93rd minute winner from Billy Joe Burns to secure victory. They finished 4th in the league last year and won the Irish Cup to qualify for the UEFA Conference League. Their league season kicks off on the 13th of August against Dungannon Swifts. Basel had a strong goal scoring record at home toward the end of last season and we expect them to win this one comfortably against the Crusaders.

18:00 Thursday

Rapid Vienna vs Legia Gdansk - Rapid Vienna to win

The Austrian side had a disappointing season last year, finishing fifth in the league and not making it out the group in the Europa League and being knocked out of the Conference League by Vitesse. They will be hoping to return to their glory as they have been regulars at top of the Austrian Bundesliga and in the Europa League for several years. They come into this game after winning the first round of the Austrian Cup on Friday evening and will be looking to start a good run of form. 

Legia Gdansk beat Akademija Pandev 6-2 on aggregate to progress to the second round of the Conference League. The Polish side finished 4th last year but have started their 2022/23 campaign off poorly with a 3-0 loss to Wisla Plock on Sunday. They currently sit bottom of the league on goal difference. With home advantage and in better from, Rapid Vienna look the more likely winner of the two. 

19:45 Thursday

Motherwell vs Sligo Rovers - Motherwell to win

Motherwell finished fifth last season in the league and will be hoping for better this season, they start their 2022/23 campaign off against St. Mirren three days after their second leg fixture vs Sligo Rovers. It’s their second European campaign in three years and they will be hoping to progress further than they did last year after being knocked out of Europa League qualifying in the third round by Hapoel Be’er-Sheva. They come into this fixture fresher than their Irish opponents having had a break after the season finished, and will be looking to kickstart their season off strongly with a win vs Sligo. 

Sligo Rovers sit fifth in the table with a game in hand on the team above them. They got into the second round of the Conference League qualifying on penalties after they lost to Bala Town at home in the second leg of round one. They come into this game in poor form having won only two of their last five games and with a poor defensive record, only keeping two clean sheets in 10. With the strength of the Scottish League and considering Sligo’s poor form, Motherwell look to be a good bet here.