LOSC Lille vs HNK Rijeka Prediction and Betting Tips | August 24th 2023

LOSC Lille and HNK Rijeka square off at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in the UEFA Europa Conference League playoff on Thursday.

Paulo Fonseca’s men have made it to the playoffs of the continental showpiece after finishing fifth in the French Ligue 1 standings last season.

Lille got their 2023-24 Ligue 1 campaign up and running on Sunday when they picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Nantes on home turf.

Prior to that, Fonseca’s side went unbeaten in four of their five friendly matches, picking up three wins and one draw, before playing out a 1-1 draw with OGC Nice in the league opener on August 11.

With Sunday’s victory, Lille have now won their last six competitive home matches, scoring 14 goals and conceding four since March’s 3-3 draw against Olympique Lyon.

Elsewhere, Rijeka made it three wins in their opening four matches in the new Croatian top-flight campaign as they edged out Lokomotiva Zagreb 2-1 last weekend.

Stadion Rujevica’s men now turn their attention to the Conference League qualifiers, where they saw off Dukagjini and Torshavn respectively to reach the playoff round.

Rijeka head into Wednesday on a five-match winning streak, stretching back to a 1-0 loss against Hajduk Split on July 30.

While Rijeka have put together a fine run of form of late, they have their work cut out against a Lille side who have proven to be tough to beat at home. That said, we are backing the French side to come away with a vital first-leg victory in front of their home supporters.

Prediction: LOSC Lille 2-1 HNK Rijeka

Tip 1: Result - Lille to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals scored in four of the visitors’ last five games)

Tip 3: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored eight of Lille’s