Austria Vienna vs Ilves prediction 31.07.2024 | Conference League

• Competition: Conference League Qualifiers, 2nd Round, 2nd Leg
• Date: Wednesday, 31st July, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:30 UK / 20:30 CEST
• Venue: Generali Arena (Vienna)

After a 2:1 win for Ilves in Finland, Austria Vienna and Ilves will face off in the second leg of the second round of the Conference League Qualifiers. The game will take place at Generali Arena in Vienna.

Last year was a challenging season for Austria Vienna as they found themselves in the relegation group. However, they managed to salvage some pride by winning the Conference League Playoffs, securing European Qualifiers for the fourth consecutive season. Despite this achievement, their European campaign got off to a rocky start. In fact, the situation could be much worse, but Lucas Galvao scored a goal in the 90th minute, keeping them alive before the rematch.

Similarly to Austria Vienna, Ilves also secured European Qualifiers from the relegation group. They did it by winning the domestic Cup, securing only their fifth major trophy and seventh European Qualifiers in 93-year-old history. This year, due to a football calendar different from most European countries, the season in Finland is under full steam, and the Ilves are doing great. Right now, they are fourth with 29 points, five away from the top spot, but with one game fewer played than first-placed HJK. If they secure the 3rd round in the Conference League Playoffs, that will be their biggest success in Europe since they have never passed the 2nd round.

Austria Vienna vs Ilves pick: Over 2.5 goals

In the first leg, Austria Vienna were probably a better team, but their defense made a few big mistakes, which eventually led to Ilves scoring twice. So, we do not think they are incapable of keeping a clean sheet at this moment. On the other hand, offensively, they did create a couple of good scoring opportunities and could have easily scored at least one more goal. Now, at home, we expect them to deliver a better offensive performance, especially following their six-goal triumph over Saalfelden in the Cup, which should boost the team's morale.

Ilves have been superb for this type of bet lately. They are both scoring and conceding a lot and constantly playing high-scoring games. They were over 2.5 goals in the last seven games, with an incredible average of four goals per game!

Considering all the above, we expect an exciting game with at least three goals.