Zorya vs RB Leipzig Predictions

Zorya caused a huge shock in the last round, as they eliminated Braga on away goals. They’re now hunting another scalp in Europe, as they meet German side RB Leipzig on Thursday night. The pair are pushing for a group stage spot in the Europa League, and a win in this tie will put them in the hat for that draw later this month. The visitors know they can’t afford to underestimate the Ukrainian side, but can the hosts manage to close the gulf between these two teams?

Zorya are looking to make the group stage for the third straight season, and they’re now just 180 minutes away from that goal. However, they have a huge mountain to climb against Leipzig. Zorya started their qualifying campaign in the last round, and they got through without winning either leg. That ended some poor form in this competition from their group last season, where they lost four of six matches.

Leipzig had their first European campaign last term, as they finished third in their Champions League group, before running to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. However, their loss to Marseille was seen as a missed opportunity to go all the way in a European competition. Their poor finish to the Bundesliga season meant that they missed out on a chance to improve in Europe’s top competition, but they can still make the group stage of the Europa League. Given their limited history in continental football, another run in this competition could be huge for the club.

Zorya will certainly be seen as a beatable side over two legs, but the German side only won one of their five Europa League away trips they’ve played so far. That was their opening victory, a win at a Napoli side who prioritised the league. In qualifying this summer, Leipzig have drawn at Swedish side Hacken and Universitatea Craiova, relying on home form for their progress. They’re likely to struggle again in this trip, especially after their poor defensive record on the road.

Leipzig saw both teams score in all five of their away Europa League trips so far. The same outcome landed in five of their six group games of last season’s Champions League, while they have just two clean sheets in 10 matches in this competition. After Zorya saw both teams score in the two legs of their last tie, we’re going with BTTS as our main tip here, alongside another away draw for the Germans, with 1-1 our score prediction.