5 Goal Handicap Tips for Thursday’s UEL & UECL Action - 8/9/22

Ludogorets may currently be second in the Bulgarian First League, with six wins in the seven games played, but they may not be a match for the inaugural Conference League winners Roma. Jose Mourinho’s Roma currently sit fifth in Serie A, with three wins from five, and a recent 4 - 0 loss to Udinese may light a fire beneath Roma in the Europa League.

The Bulgarian side have not fared well in the Europa League in recent years, finishing last in their group in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns, with two points and zero points respectively. However, the most damning statistic may be their goal differences, -5 last season and -12 the season before.

Therefore, a goal handicap of one could be likely, with the Italian side likely to better Ludogorets, despite any confidence Ludogorets may have been able to build with their recent 6 - 0 thrashing of Hebar.

Norwegian side Molde, who currently sit top of their domestic league, the Eliteserien, face Belgian team Gent in the Europa Conference League this week. Molde, who have won their last five games in the Eliteserien and are closing in on their next league title in Norway, will have bags of confidence going into the game.

Gent have had a mixed start to their domestic season, currently sit seventh in the Belgian Pro League, with three wins, two draws and two losses. Gent do have experience in Europe and the Europa Conference League, playing in the first ever season of the competition and reaching the Round of 16 before losing out to PAOK.

Overall, with the confidence Molde will have, a goal handicap of -2 will suit the Norwegian side who Gent may be no match for.

The 2020/21 Europa League winners Villarreal face Polish side Lech Poznan, in a tie that could very likely end in a whitewash. Villarreal sit third in La Liga, with three wins and a draw from the first four games. However, Lech Poznan haven’t had a great start to the season, even before this potential goal frenzy, sitting eighth in the Ekstraklasa.

Both Villarreal and Lech Poznan make their first appearances in the Europa Conference League, with the Spanish side having made a considerable amount of appearances in the Champions League and Europa League and the Polish side having two seasons in the Europa League.

This fixture has a high likelihood of having a high scoreline, with Villarreal likely to run away with the game. Lech Poznan’s poor record in Europe also supports this potential outcome, with both of their previous appearances in the Europa League group stages ending at that stage, with a third-place finish in the 2015/16 and a last-place finish in the 2020/21 season.

Fiorentina are back in European football for the first time since the 2016/17 season and are looking to net as many as possible against Latvian opponents FK Rigas. The Italian side may need a goal-fest against FK Rigas after their somewhat poor start to the Serie A season with just one win, three draws and a loss in the first five games.

The Latvian Higher League is nearly finished for 2022, with FK Rigas sitting third, seven points off of the leaders Valmiera. This meeting with Fiorentina is the Latvian side’s first foray into European football in their history, after a long-fought qualifying run.

This suggests that a goal handicap of -2 is wise. FK Rigas’ complete lack of experience in European football will likely render them vulnerable against a side like Fiorentina, who have tasted this level of competition much more recently.

FCSB make their Europa Conference League debut against the Europa League semi-finalists West Ham, which will be a tough start to a campaign for the Romanian side. FCSB also currently sit 13th in Liga 1, with just one win in seven games, which does not bode well for a side facing The Hammers that did so well in Europe last season.

West Ham have also had a mixed start to their Premier League season, sitting a lowly 18th. David Moyes’ side having just one win, one draw and four losses in their opening six games. However, their near-triumph in the Europa League last season will give The Hammers the confidence they need going into the Europa Conference League.

Overall, despite their poor start in the Premier League, a goal handicap of -2 for this tie is likely to come through, especially with FCSB’s inexperience in Europe.