- Hammarby IF won 1, drew 3 and lost 1 of their last 5 matches (including the 0-0 draw in last week's UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 first leg)
- Raków Czestochowa won 2, drew 1 and lost 2 of their last 5 games, which is another mixed set of results which leaves this second leg finely poised.
- Hammarby IF have won 1 and drawn 1 of their last 2 home games in all competitions, while Raków have won 1 and lost 1 of their last 2 away games.
A cagey second leg awaits at the 3Arena
Hammarby IF and Raków Czestochowa split the spoils in their UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 1st Leg last week and while there was nothing flashy about the 0-0 draw, it set the tone for what looks set to be a tense, cagey affair in the return leg.
Hammarby, who are a 2.27 favourite to win on Thursday, are the more progressive side as Henrik Rydström has preserved the high-press that served his team well last season, while incorporating more structure and controlled possession into the mix.
The hosts will be happy to go forward from the off and try to pinch the game at the break as they are in an unbeaten 2-game home run, winning 1 and drawing the other, while Raków are sharp, but not quite settled in their away form, winning 1 and losing 1 of their last 2 road trips.
Raków’s rock solid, but are they rock solid enough?
Dawid Kroczek's side sit in a hybrid back-five, defend in numbers, but can pick off goals on the counter or from set pieces. They have won 5, drawn 1 and lost 4 of their last 10 in all competitions, which is a boom or bust sequence that won't suit Hammarby's style of play as they're looking for control, but won't get it.
The visitors are a low-to-medium block side that will look to snatch goals when they can, but they also won't mind a draw on the road. And while Hammarby will want to press on, the visitors won't sit back and allow them to run away with it, so the wide areas and half-spaces will be critical in this one.
The straight Hammarby win bet looks the obvious play here, but 3.0 is a lot of value on the away side and the 1X2 odds don't reflect the potential for a draw at 3.35. We're going to take BTTS at 1.7 as our main bet as the 0-0 first leg showed how Hammarby can't quite finish off games and how Raków can keep things tight.
Under 2.5 goals at 1.87 is also a play as Hammarby are averaging 2.00 goals per home game, while the visiting side are averaging 2.00 on the road. The home side do have a more reliable goal-getter in Paulos Abraham, who has 3 in his last 5, and Raków have Patryk Makuch, who has 2 in 3 in the UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026, but 3 in his side's last 9 overall.
