- Team form: FC Koper are on a 5-game winning streak and beat NSI Runavík 2-0 in the 1st leg of this tie
- Opposition: NSI Runavík are solid but less ruthless
- Odds: FC Koper are 1.48 favorites with NSI 6.15, which doesn't make sense
Koper are looking for an upset at 1.48
FC Koper are the clear favorites for Thursday's UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 second leg at SRC Bonifika Stadion, and at 1.48 they are a little underrated against an NSI Runavík side that is in decent form but unlikely to pull off a major upset. The Slovenian side won the first leg 2-0 to put themselves firmly in control of the tie, so the task ahead of Zoran Zeljković's side is to keep a clean sheet and manage the game.
Koper are on a 5-game winning run and come into this with a 2-0 away win at NK Nafta Lendava and their 2-0 victory over Runavík under their belts. They have been in stunning form across all competitions with nine wins and one draw in their last 10 matches. The 4-2-3-1 formation that Zeljković has used for most of that period has seen Koper control the pace of games with a solid double pivot that ensures they maintain their shape and they are on a 3-game unbeaten streak at home.
Runavík are a solid side but lack ruthlessness
Form and record
Sigurður Ragnar Eyjólfsson's Runavík are a decent side, but they've lacked ruthlessness in all competitions with five wins, three draws and two defeats in their last 10. They beat Hamrun Spartans 2-1 away from home to get to the second leg of this tournament before losing 2-0 away to Koper in the first meeting.
Their 5-game run through all competitions has been a mixed bag with one win, three draws and one defeat, but they have been a good away side with three wins, one draw and a defeat and they've scored 2.80 goals on average in those games.
Key players
- The Faroe Islanders have some quality in midfield and attack, with Petur Knudsen perhaps their talisman.
- Knudsen has scored two goals in three UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 games and three of their last six goals in the last five games, while Brown Irabor is Koper's main threat.
- He has scored twice in one UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 game and four of their last eight goals in the last five matches.
The oddsmakers have got this one wrong
There's a huge discrepancy between the prices on these two teams that make no sense. Koper are 1.48 favourites with Runavík at 6.15 and the tie at 4.9.
We're going with Koper, who have a lot more recent pedigree and are in much better form. However, NSI will press hard in this game and Runavík will try to keep the game open and their press-versus-build clash may make for an interesting game.
We're taking a Koper win but there are also some good odds on goals with Over 2.5 coming in at 1.52 and Both Teams to Score – Yes at 1.72.
