Club Brugge vs LASK Linz Predictions

By going away from home, scoring and coming out on top, Club Brugge have put themselves in a strong position ahead of the second leg. The Belgians know that they simply need to avoid defeat in front of a home crowd to progress. In contrast, LASK Linz must go to Belgium and do what they failed to do in Austria a week ago.

After a whirlwind game away against Dynamo Kiev in the previous round, a game that ended 3-3, Brugge would’ve been hoping for a more controlled effort in Austria and that’s exactly what the Belgians delivered. Philippe Clement’s men set about adopting a pragmatic approach, which allowed them to prevent their hosts from getting serious in the final third. Brugge surrendered just 0.78 expected goals and only one shot on target during the first leg.

Not only did Club Brugge do an excellent job of restricting LASK Linz during the first leg, but they were also a threat going forward, especially on the break, as they registered a pleasing 2.04 expected goals for. Such a number suggests that they did enough to score more than once.

The fact that Linz struggled at both ends of the pitch a week ago does not bode well ahead of this match, as they were poor on the road during the previous round. When visiting Basel, despite winning, LASK found it tough to forge regular scoring opportunities. They created 0.76 expected goals for and registered only three shots on target. More will be needed if they’re to turn this tie on its head.

In the betting, ‘Club Brugge to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’ stands out as a viable option. The hosts proved that they’ve got what it takes to get at Linz a week ago, while their previous home effort in qualifying, creating 1.58 expected goals for in victory over Kiev, also points towards the hosts thriving. Brugge didn’t notch twice last week, though they really should have. More importantly, as the visitors, who struggled to land a glove on the Belgians in Austria, push for the win, they’re likely to be got at on the break, as was the case in the first leg.