O. Ljubljana – Klaksvik : Preview & Prediction
It is fair to say that Olimpija Ljubljana have found life difficult after qualifying for the group stage of a European competition for the first time in their history. The reigning Slovenian champions have yet to score a single goal after three games, with three consecutive defeats in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL), a run that has them in last place in Group A.
These results mean that an early exit from the group stage could be sealed here, and that also contributed to the sacking of coach João Henriques, who lasted only four and a half months in charge before being fired in mid-October. He has been replaced by Zoran Zeljković, and the team’s form has improved somewhat since the former Slovenian international took over, with the Dragons losing just one of their five games under his leadership, keeping four clean sheets in the process (G3, E1, P1).
The concern for Ljubljana is that their only loss during that streak was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of their opponents in this match, Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. It was a historic victory for Magne Hoseth’s side, who hail from a village with a population of just 5,000 and became the first team in the history of Faroese soccer to record a win in the group stage of a European competition.
In fact, October turned out to be quite a good month for the club, as they were crowned national champions for the third year in a row, finishing seven points clear of second place despite losing 2-1 to Vikingur in their last game. However, they have still won four of their last eight matches (E3, P1), and are now hoping to advance to a place in the UECL knockout stages, having picked up four points from their three matches so far (G1, E1, P1).
Key battle: Ljubljana striker Rui Pedro has won 13 of his last 14 games in which he has scored (E1). Defender Vegard Forren could try to thwart him, although he has helped his team keep just one clean sheet in its last eight European away games.
Key stat: Both teams scored in just one of Ljubljana’s last eight matches in all competitions.
O. Ljubljana – Klaksvik : Betting Tips
O. Ljubljana – Win Odds: 2.25
