Aston Villa vs HSK Zrinjski Mostar Prediction & Betting Tips - Conference League

Prediction published on 05/10/2023, 02:00  by Sridhar | Modified on 05/10/2023 at 06:31 in Conference League Predictions

Aston Villa will be keen to get their campaign going when they host HSK Zrinjski Mostar on matchday two of the UEFA Europa Conference League. This Group E match at Villa Park on Thursday will see the hosts bottom of the table with no points on the board while their visitors have three points. Aston Villa aren't always at their best when playing away from home. That was illustrated in their opening Europa League game when losing 3-2 at Legia Warsaw. Home form will therefore be important for them if they want to progress to the knockout stages. They did try to retaliate and hit back every time they conceded with the score reading 2-2 after 38 minutes, but a goal in the second-half condemned them to a defeat and having to play catch-up.  Villa did come back after that defeat winning 1-0 over Chelsea and then smashing high-flyers Brighton & Hove Albion by a 6-1 margin over the weekend.

Zrinjski shouldn’t be taken lightly, as the club from Bosnia & Herzegovina surprised everyone on matchday. They were 3-0 down against AZ Alkmaar in that fixture but kept finding the goals to eventually win 4-3. The visitors kept finding wins after that too, making it three wins in a row since that matchday one victory. That has given them a chance to move up the domestic table to fourth, which adds to their aura. Away form is of slight concern though, as they’ve won just once across their last six away European games – drawing two and losing three.