Djurgardens IF vs FC Luzern Prediction & Betting Tips - Conference League

Prediction published on 25/07/2023, 13:10  by Devesh Jaganath in Conference League Predictions

The second round of the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers will see Djurgardens IF take on FC Luzern on Thursday. The winner of this two-legged tie will face either Hibernian or Inter Cluv d’Escaldes in the next round. Both sides are entering this competition in this round. The hosts finished second in Allsvenskan last season with 57 points, seven points behind Hacken. However, they have found it a little more difficult this season, currently in fourth place and nine points behind the current leaders at the halfway point of the season. Djurgarden comes into this match off the back of a thumping 4-0 defeat against Elfsborg last week, which brought an end to a four-match winning streak. They put in a solid performance in the Conference League last season by topping Group F with 16 points in six matches and were the only team in the group that were unbeaten with five wins and a draw. Lech Poznan eventually knocked them out in the round of 16. Djurgarden have been good at home in recent weeks, suffering just one loss in their last ten matches while picking up eight wins and a draw in the other nine. Despite losing their last match by a margin, the hosts will be fancied to bounce back with a win in this one. 

Luzern, on the other hand, just edged into the Conference League qualifiers by finishing fourth in the Swiss Super League last season. The visitors managed a tally of 50 points, which was 24 behind the champions Young Boys and just three above Basel, who finished fifth. Luzern did not finish the season particularly well, recording just one win in their last six matches while drawing two and losing three. They began this season unimpressively as well last week, playing out a stalemate against the side that finished second-bottom last season, Winterthur. While their recent record is far from excellent, it is worth noting that just two seasons ago, Luzern were in the relegation playoffs and followed up last season with a top-four finish. Djurgarden are expected to reach the main tournament, but the visitors have nothing to lose and will want to give a good account of themselves as they will be participating in these qualifiers for the first time in five seasons.