The first leg of the 2024/25 Europa League Round of 16 between Borac (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Rapid (Austria) will take place on March 6 at the Gradski Stadium in Banja Luka. Borac vs. Rapid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Borac
Mladen Žižović's side faced Slovenia's Olimpija in the play-offs. Borac managed to secure a narrow home victory (1-0), and in the return leg away, the team played a disciplined defensive game to achieve the desired result (0-0). As a result, the Bosnians extended their unbeaten run in the Conference League to three matches (1 win, 2 draws) – the club's longest such streak in this tournament. Moreover, Borac did not concede a single goal during this stretch.
- No more than two goals have been scored in regular time in 5 of the last 7 home matches in the Conference League.
- The team has scored exactly one or two goals in 90 minutes in 5 of their last 6 home games in this European competition.
- The Bosnians have conceded a maximum of one goal in regular time in 6 of their last 7 home matches in the Conference League.
Predicted lineup for Borac (3-4-3)
Filip Manojlović – Bart Meijers, Karolina Jurih, Sebastián Herrera – Sandi Ogrinec, Stefan Savić, Boban Nikolov, Zoran Kvržić – Đorđe Despotović, Enver Kulasin, David Vuković.
Defender Luka Zorić and midfielder Srđan Grahovac will miss the match due to injuries. Defender Sebastián Herrera and head coach Mladen Žižović are suspended for this game.
Rapid
Robert Klaus's side did not participate in the play-offs, and in the last round of the general stage, Rapid confidently defeated Copenhagen at home (3-0). As a result, the club secured its fourth victory in the current Conference League campaign, with two of them being by a large margin. Finishing in fourth place in the standings, the Austrians advanced directly to the Round of 16. Notably, Rapid has conceded only five goals in the current Conference League, ranking among the top three teams alongside Chelsea and Legia in this regard.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 4 of their last 6 away matches in the Conference League (3 wins, 1 draw).
- The team has scored in 90 minutes in 7 of their last 8 away games in this European competition.
- The Austrians have scored in the second half in 6 of their last 7 away matches in the Conference League.
Predicted lineup for Rapid (4-3-3)
Niklas Hedl – Bendegúz Bolla, Jonas Auer, Nenad Cvetković, Serge-Philipp Raux-Yao – Lukas Grgic, Mamadou Sangaré, Matthias Seidl – Dion Beljo, Nikolaus Wurmbrand, Isak Jansson.
Forward Guido Burgstaller will miss the match due to injury.
Referee
Jérôme Brisard (France)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 21;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 31;
Penalties – 43%.
Borac vs. Rapid: Match Prediction
At home on the European stage, the Bosnians perform admirably and fight for results until the end. The support of the fans often has a positive influence on the team, encouraging them to push forward and attack more. As a result, Borac has failed to score in only one of their last six home matches in the Conference League.
Rapid rarely struggles to break down opponents' defenses and regularly scores, even on the road. In their last eight away matches in the Conference League, the team has only failed to score once, and in four of those cases, the Austrians have netted at least two goals. Meanwhile, in their last nine away encounters in this European competition, the team has kept only two clean sheets.
I believe this will be a high-scoring match, so my prediction: Total over 2 goals
