FCB Magpies vs Dundalk Prediction & Betting Tips - Conference League

Prediction published on 11/07/2023, 13:44  by Joseph King | Modified on 11/07/2023 at 13:44 in Conference League Predictions

Gibraltar’s FC Bruno Magpies host Ireland’s Dundalk FC for the first round of the 2023/2024 Europa Conference League qualifying stages on Thursday. There’s a long way to go for both sides as they will have to emerge victorious in three qualifying rounds followed by a playoff. Dundalk made an appearance in the Europa League group stages in the 2020/21 campaign. FC Bruno Magpies’ best finish in their short 10-year history was last year when they were eliminated at this stage. 

 The Magpies finished the 2022/23 Gibraltar National League in third-place following the end of the season back in April. Their last competitive match was over three months ago in the Rock Cup final. Bruno’s Magpies would go on to lift the trophy after a penalty shootout win over Lincoln Red Imps. Since then, the Magpies have played in only one friendly match which resulted in a 3-0 defeat against Championship side Preston North End. The Gibraltar based club actually proved to be a more effective team away from home last season, where they averaged 2.10 points earned per game compared to 1.60 at home.

Dundalk have the advantage of their season being in full swing, meaning the players won’t have any rust to shake off. Their most recent outing ended in a 3-2 away loss to Bohemian, a result which snapped a five game unbeaten run. The Lillywhites have won four of their last six games overall and have been in a rich vein of goalscoring form to boot. The visitors have scored 13 goals in their last fixtures for an average of 2.17 goals scored per match over the stretch. Away from home Dundalk have room for improvement but have shown the ability to get results. They have won five and drawn twice in 13 away trips in the league so far.