- BATE Borisov have won only 1 of their last 10 matches, drawing 6 and losing 3 (all-competitions).
- BATE needed penalty kicks to see off Af Elbasani after a 0-0 draw, the first leg of their UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 qualifying round tie.
- Sion have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 (all-competitions), most recently thrashing Annecy FC 4-0 in an away match.
BATE’s away woes
The form and quality of both teams is a little better for FC Sion Sitten than it is for BATE Borisov, but the main reasons to go for a home win are that they are unbeaten in their last 10 (Won 7, drawn 3) and are playing at home in Stade Tourbillon, Switzerland, whilst BATE have struggled away from home.
This fixture is level at 1-1 following both teams' first ever meeting in UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026. BATE have struggled away from home, which is why it is difficult to see them holding Sion off on Thursday.
Style clash
Vitali Rogozhkin has got BATE into their usual pragmatic 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 shape, where the wing-backs provide width, the midfielders keep things compact, and the team defends compactly and launches direct counters.
Didier Tholot has Sion playing a high-tempo 4-2-3-1, built on vertical transitions, aggressive counter-pressing, and wing overloads. The main positive of BATE's shape is that it allows them to be solid defensively, which should favor Sion's pressing and central control.
BATE have been in the first two rounds of this competition and they do have a useful weapon up top in the shape of Egor Rusakov, who has 1 goal in 3 UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 matches. Rilind Nivokazi is Sion's most dangerous player, scoring 1 goal in 1 UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 match so far and looking sharp in the box.
BATE are in survival mode
BATE's recent form is not great, with them winning just 1 of their last 5 (all-competitions), drawing 2 and losing 2. The draw with Af Elbasani was decided by penalties after a 0-0 stalemate.
Sion are on a high after their 4-0 away win over Annecy FC and will be keen to show that performance was no fluke. They have won 2 and drawn 1 of their 3 home matches in all competitions this season, conceding only 2 goals. BATE, meanwhile, have drawn 3 and lost 1 of their 4 away matches in all competitions this term, scoring only 0.75 goals per-game on average.
Sion to win
Sion will be very difficult to break down if they can pin the wing-backs deep, as that is where this fixture is won and lost. That should suit the Swiss side, as they have plenty of numbers in the middle of the park to control proceedings and can therefore win the match even if the game is a tight one.
1.21 is a very short price for the home side, although BATE are still available at 21/4 and the draw is 7.0. Our main selection is Over 2.5 goals at 1.38, as the BTTS-No market is shorter than BTTS-Yes and we fancy Sion to just edge a competitive match.
