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LASK Linz will welcome Zrinjski to the Raiffeisen Arena for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie on Thursday.
The hosts are coming into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Tirol in the Austrian Bundesliga last weekend. Goals in either half from Nik Prelec and Elias Havel ensured both sides shared the spoils.
Zrinjski, meanwhile, kickstarted their Bosnia Premijer Liga campaign with a 3-1 comeback home win over GOSK Gabela. Marko Musulin put the visitors ahead on the half-hour mark, while Nemanja Bibilja's first half brace saw the hosts go into the break in the lead. Matija Malekinusic stepped off the bench to wrap up the scoring with 15 minutes to go.
Zrinjski qualified for this round by defeating Breidablik 6-3 on aggregate in the third qualifying round. A 6-2 home victory was followed by a 1-0 loss in Iceland. LASK received a bye into this round because they finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga last season.
The winner of this tie will qualify for the Europa League group stage, while the loser will drop down to the Conference League.
LASK Linz vs Zrinjski Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
- Lask's last four competitive games have produced less than three goals.
- Zrinjski's three away games this term have had more goals in the second half than the first.
- There have been exactly two goals scored in each of Lask's four games.
- Zrinjski have conceded less than five corner kicks in four of their last five games.
LASK Linz vs Zrinjski Prediction
Lask enter the tie as the favorites and a positive first leg result would put them on the right path for qualification. They have not been in the best of form but home advantage could count in their favor.
Zrinjski started off the qualifiers in the Champions League and will be keen to avoid ending it in the Conference League.
We are backing LASK to claim a routine win in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: LASK 2-0 Zrinjski
LASK Linz vs Zrinjski Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Lask to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Under 2.5 goals (Lask's last four competitive games have produced less than three goals)
Tip 4 - Under 9.5 Corner Kicks (Zrinjski's last five games have produced less than 10 corner kicks)
