Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih vs Real Betis prediction 22.08.2024 | Conference League

• Competition: Conference League Qualifiers, Playoff Round, 1st Leg
• Date: Thursday, 22nd August, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:00 UK / 20:00 CEST
• Venue: Košická futbalová aréna (Košice)

On Thursday evening, Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih and Real Betis will face off against each other in the Playoff Round of the Europe Conference League. The first leg will take place at a neutral pitch at Košická futbalová aréna in Košice, Slovakia.

Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih went through several restructurations in recent years. They began their new page in 2020/21, starting from the 3rd league. They won two consecutive promotions, then finished seventh in the top-flight division, and then secured 3rd place, which granted them the opportunity to play in Europe. They started their European campaign in the Europa League third round, but Viktoria Plzen eliminated them easily on a 3:1 aggregate. Now, in the Conference League, they will have a really challenging task against Real Betis. On the positive side, they are doing fine in the domestic league, as they are sitting in 4th place with six points in the first three rounds.

In the previous four years, Real Betis have been between fifth and seventh place in La Liga, even winning the Copa del Rey in the 2021/22 season. During those years, Real Betis were a regular participant in the European League Group phase and the knockout phase as well. Before the start of the first leg, the bookies expectedly see Real Betis as a massive favorite, offering odds around 1.05 for them to reach the Group Stage.

Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih vs Real Betis pick: Real Betis to win and cover the -1 AH spread

Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih lost three of the first five games this season in all competitions. They had some good moments against Viktoria Plzen in the EL Qualifying Round but still lost both games. So, if they struggled with Viktoria, we cannot expect a different result against Real Betis.

Real Betis played only one official game, drawing (1:1) against last season's sensation, Girona. xG statistics suggest that these teams were approximately equal, with 1.44 xG for Betis and 1.41 xG for Girona. However, after watching the game, we believe that Real Betis were a significantly better team and deserved all three points. Additionally, Real Betis were pretty good away from home in the previous three years in Europe, winning seven of 13 matches while facing mostly much better teams than Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih.

Simply, Real Betis are a much better team overall. Considering that Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih will not have the home-pitch advantage as they play on a neutral pitch, and since they have no European experience, it is hard to expect anything but a win for the Spanish team.