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Lechia Gdansk will entertain Akademija Pandev at Stadion Energa Gdansk in the UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round on Thursday.
Lechia Gdansk ended last season as the fourth-placed team out of 18 in the Ekstraklasa - the top Polish professional league. They are yet to clinch the domestic top-flight title but have emerged in third spot twice in 1956 and 2018-19.
They played in the Europa League second qualifying round in 2019-20 but failed to progress. The Biało-Zieloni will hope to snatch a comfortable win that will afford them the leverage to face the second leg with confidence.
Akademija Pandev came up short of winning the Macedonian First League title last season, finishing behind champions KF Shkupi. They participated in the Europa League's first qualifying round in 2019-20 but Thursday’s clash will be their first attempt in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Facing Lechia Gdansk in an away fixture seems like a huge challenge for the Strumica-based team. However, much of their hopes lie in the return leg which they will be hosting.
Lechia Gdansk kicked off preparations immediately after concluding the season. They appear determined to secure a place in the competition. Akademija Pandev are currently without a head coach. It is not clear how that may affect their performance in both games.
Lechia Gdansk vs Akademija Pandev Head-to-Head
Both teams are meeting each other for the first time.
Lechia Gdansk form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-L-W
Akademija Pandev form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-L-W
Lechia Gdansk vs Akademija Pandev Team News
Lechia Gdansk
Five players returned from loan spells while two strikers, Krystian Okoniewski and Dominik Pila, were recruited alongside a defender, Bartosz Brzek.
Injury: None
Doubtful: None.
Suspension: None.
Unavailable: None.
Akademija Pandev
Goalkeeper Marko Alcevski and centre-back Spase Terziev returned from loan spells while defenders Dusan Jokovic and Vasko Gligorov joined the club recently. Striker Marko Gjorgjievski is also a new addition.
Injury: None
Doubtful: None.
Suspension: None.
Unavailable: None.
Lechia Gdansk vs Akademija Pandev Predicted Xls
Lechia Gdansk (4-4-2): Dusan Kuciak (GK), Michal Nalepa, Conrado, David Stec, Jan Bieganski, Tomasz Neugebauer, Jaroslaw Kubicki, Jakub Kaluzinski, Marco Terrazzino, Ilkay Durmus, Kacper Sezonienko
Akademija Pandev (4-5-1): Marko Jovanovski, Kosta Manev, Vasko Gligorov, Tomislav Iliev, Bojan Dimoski, Goran Tomovski, Bakr Abdellaoui, Ousman Marong, Kristijan Velinovski, Sasko Pandev, Marko Gjorgjievski
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Lechia Gdansk vs Akademija Pandev Prediction
Lechia Gdansk have lost three of their last four home matches. The upcoming meeting will be their fifth game in a row at Stadion Energa Gdansk. They will definitely guard against another setback in front of their home fans. Furthermore, Biało-Zieloni are fully aware that the outcome of Thursday’s match will either smooth their path towards an aggregate victory or compound issues. Akademija Pandev will principally strive to avoid a comprehensive loss in Gdansk while on the lookout for hit-and-run opportunities.
Lechia Gdansk hold a home advantage over the visitors and should win, but it is simply not enough to pull off a sweep that could sustain them through both legs.
Prediction: Lechia Gdansk 2-0 Akademija Pandev
