- BATE Borisov have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five games in all competitions.
- FC Sion Sitten have won four and drawn one of their last five matches and have won their last four on the spin.
BATE have been underwhelming
The odds makers have FC Sion Sitten as clear favourites for Thursday's UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 tie at 33/100, compared to 15/2 for hosts BATE Borisov and 15/4 for the draw.
They are right to favour the Swiss visitors as they have won their last three Friendly Club Matches 2026, beating Neuchatel Xamax FC 4-2, Yverdon-Sports 3-1 and Annecy FC 4-0 - all away from home.
BATE, meanwhile, are in patchy form, as the last 5 reads: 1W-1D-3L.
They have failed to win each of their most recent home games and have scored just three goals in that sequence, so there's little that suggests they'll get the better of Sion on Thursday.
Stylistic contrast should suit Sion
BATE have been set up in a 4-3-3 by Vitali Rogozhkin that has worked well in transition, when they can get numbers ahead and overload wide areas.
They lack a reliable source of goals, however, with Maksim Sakuta providing their spark up front, as two of their three goals in the last five matches attest, but they do have a focal point in Egor Rusakov, who is their leading marksman in UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 with one goal in two games.
Didier Tholot has been in charge of Sion since July and he has turned the team into a passing side that plays patiently in the short game and tries to dictate from the centre of the pitch.
That should suit them to control this game, although it is true that they could be overrun by BATE's counter-attacking play if they get loose.
FC Sion Sitten have the quality to win
Across all competitions, BATE have won two, drawn five and lost three of their last 10, so it is hard to recommend them here in this European tie.
Sion, meanwhile, have won eight and drawn two of their last 10, so are full of confidence and ready for this test.
The market is probably right to take them as winners, but we'll take the safer angle of taking FC Sion Sitten to beat BATE and under 3.5 goals in the match, which should be close enough if the Swiss side are to have to grind out the tie.
