- Partizan are the 47/100 favourites, Strassen are 99/20, so the market has an away victory in this one.
- UNA Strassen are unbeaten in 5 home matches in all competitions (W4, D1).
- UNA Strassen have not conceded a goal in 5 home games in all competitions (W4, D1).
Partizan to come out on top
Partizan Belgrade have an extra couple of gears and they have shown that when they put UNA Strassen to the sword 4-0 at home. Now the Serbian side will try to finish the tie off in what is, on paper, a very winnable fixture in Luxembourg.
Saša Ilić has got Partizan to play a more proactive, direct game where they try to control possession, stretch the play wide and press up high to try and nick it back from the opponents. In their last two matches, the visitors have scored twice on the road against FK Zemun (2-2) and put four past this same Strassen side in Belgrade (4-0). So they can play well on the front foot and they can finish.
Jeremy Deichelbohrer has this Strassen side set up very narrow and very compact, so that they can be in numbers when they do win the ball and have a chance of hitting their opponent on the counter. They are a team of the wings and try to be ready for the ball to come back wide, but they don't seem to have the players to make that plan work against Partizan.
UNA can be a frustrating side to play
In all competitions, Strassen have been in decent form with 5 wins, 3 draws and just 2 defeats from their last 10. They've been stubborn at home, winning 4 and drawing 1 of their 5 matches and keeping a clean sheet in each. In Europe, they've beaten Fiorita 1-0 at home and 2-0 away, but the 4-0 loss to Partizan last time out showed the gulf in class between these two.
Partizan have been less dominant away from home with 1 win, 3 draws and 1 defeat from their 5 trips away from the Serbian capital. So they've not been a away machine and that's why we think Strassen can be competitive for at least the first half of this game.
Zubairu Ibrahim has been the spark for Partizan so far with 2 goals in 1 UEFA Conference League Qualification game, making him the team's dangerman, but he could also get a few more chances on Thursday if Strassen have to push forward. Partizan have scored just 1.00 goal per away match in all competitions, hitting just 5 goals in total, so they haven't been prolific on the road.
Punters must take the goals
Nicolas Perez has been the biggest danger for Strassen with 2 goals in 3 UEFA Conference League Qualification games. He's also scored 3 in the last 5.
Partizan are 13/20 for both teams to score and that's why we'll take the goal angle on this one, even though they are the clear favourites. Strassen are a compact unit that sit in and hit on the break. Partizan will look to control the game and that should set up a control vs counter battle. The hosts score just 1.40 goals per home match in all competitions and have yet to concede a goal in 5 games at the Stade de Luxembourg.
The over 2.5 goals line is also available at a relatively short price of 47/100, which suggests the bookies are expecting an open match, rather than a cagey, scrappy affair. We'll avoid that price and take Partizan to score a few here as they did in the previous leg, but Strassen's stubborn home numbers are good enough to take the 99/20.
