- FK Liepaja have won their last 2 matches in a row: 1-0 at home to FK Decic Tuzi and 2-1 away to FK Decic Tuzi in the UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026.
- FK Austria Wien arrive off the back of a 4-1 win at home to Paksi FC in Friendly Club Matches 2026 after 2 consecutive 1-1 draws with Debreceni VSC and DAC Dunajska.
An interesting clash of styles
FK Austria Wien are the obvious favourites in the betting at 3/10, with FK Liepaja 157/20 and the draw 21/5. These odds reflect the vastly different pedigree of these two clubs in European football and it's fair to say that Austria Wien are expected to win this UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie. However, the hosts are in good form and the styles of these 2 sides could make for a cagey affair at Slokas Stadium in Latvia on Thursday.
Vladimir Vassiljev has been in charge of Liepaja since 1 June 2026 and his team look very compact and hard to break down. Their only real blip in form came when they lost 3-1 away to BFC Daugava Daugavpils in Virsliga 2026. They're a back four team who like to get players forward in transitions, and can hurt teams when they break quickly with players in wide areas, their overlapping full backs and set pieces.
Stephan Helm has had more time with Austria Wien, since 10 June 2024, and his men play a much more control-oriented style of football. They can line up in a flexible 4-2-3-1, or a 4-3-3, where they try to maintain possession and use quick vertical passes to unlock defenses, although they're always good on the counter and very proactive in terms of pressing the ball. They're more of a goal machine than Liepaja, having scored 8 goals in their 4 away matches in all competitions.
Who’s the best bet?
Austria Wien should have more of the ball and will likely come out on top, but there is a gulf in the odds that doesn't quite reflect the quality of each team and the contrasting styles of play. Liepaja are a frustrating team, they'll give it their best shot to frustrate Austria Wien and are capable of nicking chances on their own turf, given that they've scored 10 goals in their last 5 home games in all competitions. A tight game seems likely here, so I'm going with Under 2.5 goals at 29/25 and Both Teams To Score - No at 3/4.
Austria Wien to win in 90 minutes is my correct score prediction as I expect them to edge this tie, but it should be a tight one.
Vasilije Markovic has given a bit of a bite to Austria Wien's attack of late, scoring 2 of their 6 goals across their last 5 games, while Fellipe Vieira has been a bright spark for Liepaja, scoring 3 of their 8 across the same number of matches. Ede Oloko is the highest scorer for Liepaja in this competition with 1 goal in 2 games.
