Sivasspor will look to stay undefeated in the Europa Conference League when they play host to KF Ballkani on Thursday, with kickoff at 7:45 pm.
Sivasspor currently sits level on points with group leader Slavia Prague in their UEFA Europa League group, and they have a three-point cushion over Thursday’s opponents.
Riza Calimbay’s side has been involved in this campaign’s cagey contests. Still, they’ve emerged with positive results after drawing 1-1 against Slavia Prague and winning 1-0 away against CFR Cluj.
Max Gradel was the hero on matchday two, with his first-half penalty guiding his team to victory. In the Turkish Super Lig, Sivasspor is currently bottom of the league with four points from eight games; however, they will hope that their European form can act as a respite from their domestic troubles.
Meanwhile, Ballkani fought through three rounds of qualifying to become the first Kosovan club to participate in the group stage of a UEFA club competition.
Despite making history, Ballkani’s lack of group-stage experience may have played a role in taking one point from their opening two matches.
A 91st-minute equalizer denied them a historic victory against CFR Cluj on matchday one. In their last European outing, they fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat away to Slavia Prague after twice leading in that contest.
Sivasspor vs. KF Ballkani Head to Head
Both sides have yet to face each other, marking their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Sivasspor 1-2 Hatayspor
- Ankargucu 2-1 Sivasspor
- Cluj 0-1 Sivasspor
- Sivasspor 1-1 Istanbul
Away
- Ballkani 2-0 Gjilani
- FC Malisheva 2-3 Ballkani
- Ferizaj 0-3 Ballkani
- Slavia Praha 3-2 Ballkani
Sivasspor Team News
Sivasspor will be without two key players for Thursday’s match, as Leke James and Ahmed Musa are sidelined due to injury. Murat Paluli could come in at right-back instead of Robin Yalcin, who was dropped from the starting lineup for Sunday’s game.
Ballkani Team News
Ballkani is missing the services of Rustem Hoxha due to a knee injury, while Astrit Thaqi is suspended after being sent off against Slavia Prague. This could give Arber Potoku a chance in the starting lineup.
Prediction and Odds
We predict that Sivasspor will remain unbeaten in the Europa Conference League by defeating Ballkani.
- Home Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 1.5
