NSI Runavik vs Ballymena Utd Predictions

Runavik are far from big boys of European football, though a trip to the Faroe Islands is unlikely to be devoid of complications, so it’s a good job that Ballymena secured a pleasing win in front of their own fans a week ago. Having both scored twice and denied their opponents an away-goal, the Northern Irishmen will fancy themselves to progress.

Thursday’s hosts will undoubtedly be disappointed with how the first leg went. Not only did they give quite a bit away, conceding 18 shots (eight on target) and two goals, but they failed to really make their mark going forward, as they scored zero goals and registered just one shot on target.

Last week’s visitors weren’t without half-chances, so they should fancy themselves to make offensive headway at home, though their end-product will certainly need to improve.

As for Ballymena, well David Jeffrey’s men ought to be pleased with their efforts last week. They may not have completely dominated the game in terms of possession, as they saw only 6% more of the ball than their opponents, but they were much more productive than Runavik. The Northern Irish side were proactive with the ball, which allowed them to fire off several efforts at goal, many of which came from promising areas.

Deploying the same attack-minded style may not be as easy away from home, though Ballymena have the luxury of holding a two-goal lead, so they can adopt a more cautious approach and thus play on the break. After all, counter-attacking opportunities should certainly arise against a side that 1. Will be forced to chase the game and 2. Looked somewhat weak at the back during the first leg.

From a betting point of view, ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ catches the eye. Firstly, the fact that Runavik must go in pursuit of goals from the word go should ensure that the fans in attendance at Við Løkin see an open game.

Ballymena proved that they can exploits the cracks in Runavik’s back-line last week, though we shouldn’t expect the hosts to misfire for a second time. After all, just 12 months ago, they notched four times during a ten-goal thriller at this venue against Scottish outfit Hibernian. Moreover, Thursday’s hosts shared seven goals with Northern Irish side Linfield at this venue back in 2015.

All things considered, with several factors pointing towards goals, the possibility of a high-scoring game looks to be slightly greater than the current prices suggest, so a small punt is taken on the above selection.