The Europa Conference League group stages conclude on Thursday evening, with plenty to be decided across the board.
Hearts have struggled in the competition but will look to reclaim their pride when they travel east to face Istanbul Basaksehir in Group A, while West Ham will attempt to become the first team in competition history to win all six group games.
In Group D, it’s all to play for, with Cologne and Nice knowing that a win at the RhineEnergieStadion will take them through.
Istanbul Basaksehir vs Hearts
Predictions
Hearts are unlikely to gain much from their trip to Istanbul, despite beating Ross County 2-1 at the weekend.
Basaksehir defeated Giresunspor 3-1 on Monday to keep their Turkish title aspirations alive and to seem a class above the Edinburgh club.
Stats
Istanbul Basaksehir leads Group A with 10 points, one more than Fiorentina, thanks to a better aggregate record in the two matches (4-2).
They matched the 3-0 score against the Viola in their other home match against RFS and will be eager to get the job done after losing 2-1 in Florence last Thursday.
Despite beating RFS both at home and away, Hearts have already been eliminated from this competition, and their 5-1 defeat away at Fiorentina on matchday four was arguably a stronger indicator of their standing at this level.
FCSB vs West Ham
Predictions
West Ham’s perfect 15 points from five games means they can rest some of their players, but even so, they will be confident of finishing Group B with a spotless record.
FCSB have shown some potential in this league, most notably drawing home and away against Anderlecht, but they have lost their shine and have now fired manager Nicolae Dica after a 2-1 loss to Universitatea Cluj on Monday.
Stats
West Ham is the only team in the Europa Conference League to have five wins from five games, and they have done so in style, averaging merely two goals per game.
They have only conceded four goals in Group B, and while Andrei Cordea started the scoring for FCSB when the two teams met at the London Stadium, the Red and Blues’ only other Group B goals came in a 2-2 draw at Anderlecht.
This has contributed to Romania’s early elimination after they have only picked up two points in the competition, losing twice to Silkeborg and drawing both games against their Belgian groupmates.
Cologne vs Nice
Predictions
Nice’s away record will definitely increase their confidence, as will Sunday’s 2-1 victory over a much-improved Lorient team.
Cologne has a fantastic home record, but they are without a number of key players, including captain Jonas Hector.
With this in mind, an away win and both teams to score could be appealing to some bettors, especially given Nice’s recent record of only one clean sheet in all competitions.
Stats
Nice and Partizan Belgrade are equal for eighth place in Group D, with Cologne trailing on seven points.
Slovacko have already been eliminated and may struggle to test Partizan in Belgrade, emphasizing Nice’s visit to Cologne.
The two teams drew 1-1 at the Allianz Riviera in September, and a repeat of that result would cost Cologne owing to their weaker head-to-head record with Partizan.
Nice are unblemished in the Europa Conference League away from home, drawing 1-1 in Belgrade before defeating Slovacko 1-0 in Uherske Hradiste.
Cologne defeated Slovacko but fell to Partizan at the RheinEnergieStadion. The loss to Serbia is their only loss in five home games in all competitions.
