Jagiellonia Bialystok vs Gent Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

After coming through a whirlwind tie against Rio Ave of Portugal, Thursday’s hosts will be hoping to build a lead ahead of the second-leg when welcoming Gent to Białystok City Stadium on Thursday evening.

Jagiellonia just about scraped through the last round, despite conceding four goals away from home. Fortunately for the Poles, they denied their opponents an away-goal in the first-leg, winning by a goal to nil at this venue, while they were able to match Rio Ave on the road, scoring an impressive four goals. After that quite breathtaking second-leg, manager Ireneusz Mamrot will be hoping to see his side do more of the same offensively, though he’ll also be hoping that they sharpen up at the back.

Fortunately, Jagiellonia’s home performance during the last round was a pleasing one, while they’ve got a pleasing record at home in Europa League qualifying in general. Thursday’s hosts didn’t set the world alight when getting the better of Rio Ave at Białystok City Stadium, though they delivered a solid effort, playing on the counter, scoring once and keeping a clean sheet in the process. A similar performance against a Gent team who’ve not exactly started the season in flying form could pay dividends.

Unlike Jagiellonia, who came through the last qualifying round, this is where Gent will enter the competition. The visitors have had the benefit of playing a couple of league games prior to this fixture, though they’ve not been thriving, especially from a defensive point of view. Yves Vanderhaeghe’s side conceded three against St. Liege on the opening day, while they were unable to shutout Zulte in front of a home crowd at the weekend.

Last season the Buffalos were useful at the back, particularly towards the end of the campaign, though they’re yet to find that solidity this term. Last time out Gent looked particularly open and susceptible to the break, so much so that had Zulte offered more end-product then they would’ve breached the Gent back-line more than once.

Given how well Jagiellonia coped at home during the last round, they ought to be suited by the way Gent will play. What’s more, if they can replicate their defensive efforts, then countering against a visiting team who’ve looked very open at the back in their opening two league matches shouldn’t be too hard. All things considered, it’s easy to feel that the hosts are a bit overpriced against a team who’ve not exactly impressed in recent weeks. Backing the Polish side with the insurance that ‘Draw No Bet’ provides looks to be a solid option.