The first leg of the 2024/25 Conference League playoffs between Gent (Belgium) and Betis (Spain) will take place on February 13 at the Ghelamco Arena. Gent vs. Betis: prediction and statistics.
Gent
The Belgians finished 17th in the overall stage of the Conference League, with three wins and three losses. Notably, the team had excellent chances to qualify directly for the Round of 16 but unexpectedly lost 0-1 away to Larne in the final round. The Northern Irish team had not earned a single point in the main stage before this. Interestingly, Gent has reached the playoffs of this European competition for the fourth consecutive time, but last season, they were stopped in the playoffs by Maccabi Haifa (1:1 and 0:1).
In January, Daniel Milicevic was appointed as the new head coach. Currently, the club's injury list includes defender Noah Fadiga, goalkeeper Tom Vandenberg, forward Max Deane, and midfielder Andrew Hjulsager.
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of Gent's last 8 matches in the Conference League.
- Gent's uncompromising streak in this European competition stands at eight matches (5 wins and 3 losses).
- The Belgians have not lost in the first half of their last six home matches in this tournament (3 wins and 3 draws).
Predicted lineup for Gent (4-4-2)
Davy Roef – Archie Brown, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Stefan Mitrovic, Thiago Araujo – Omri Gandelman, Sven Kums, Atsuki Ito, Thibe De Vlieger – Frank Sordet, Andri Gudjohnsen.
Betis
The Seville team secured their place in the tournament playoffs only in the final round. Playing at home, they narrowly defeated modest HJK (1:0). Notably, in the fifth round, they also won 1:0 away against Petrocub. With ten points, the Spaniards finished in 15th place. It is also noteworthy that Betis' matches in the overall stage had the lowest average number of goals – 1.8. Last season, the club also played at this stage but did not progress further, losing on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb (1:1 and 0:1).
Defender Aitor Ruibal will miss the match due to suspension, while defender Hector Bellerin and midfielder William Carvalho are out due to injuries.
- A maximum of three goals were scored in all of Seville's last 10 matches in this European competition.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in six of Betis' last matches in the Conference League.
- In 7 of the last 9 matches of the Spaniards in this tournament, one team won the first half with a clean sheet.
Predicted lineup for Betis (4-2-3-1)
Adrian Castillo – Nathan, Diego Llorente, Ricardo Rodriguez, Aitor Ruibal – Joao Cardoso, Sergi Altimira – Assane Diao, Chimy Avila, Abde Ezzalzouli – Cedric Bakambu.
Referee
Horatiu Fesnic (Romania)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 28;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 30;
Penalties – 50%.
Match Prediction: Gent vs. Betis
The Spaniards have not been impressive in the Conference League. The team only managed to progress further in the tournament bracket thanks to two victories at the end of the main stage. It is worth noting that the Seville team narrowly defeated representatives from Moldova, Finland, and Slovenia by only one goal difference. However, they dropped points against opponents from more competitive leagues. The Belgian tournament has a high club ranking, so Betis will face challenges in the first match.
Gent remains unbeaten at home in 17 consecutive matches in the Conference League. In this series, the team has won 13 matches and drawn 4 at home. Moreover, in their last 13 home matches in this tournament, the club scored at least two goals in 10 of them. Additionally, Betis has won only two of their last five away matches in this European competition, against Kryvbas and Petrocub – opponents with minimal European experience.
My prediction: Gent to win or draw
