FC Basel

vs

FC Viktoria Plzen

Preview

FC Basel

• FC Basel have won two of their last five matches (D1, L2).
• Basel have had an underwhelming group stage so far, picking up just 6 points from their 7 group games.
• FC Basel have won two of their three home games in the UEFA Europa League, averaging 2.00 goals per game for and 1.00 against.
• The appointment of Stephan Lichtsteiner has brought a new level of defensive discipline to the team, however, many are worried that he may have a lot of work to do in order to reset Basel’s standards.
• Xherdan Shaqiri remains their main attacking threat, netting three in seven Europa League appearances and five of his team’s 15 goals in their last five games across all competitions.

FC Viktoria Plzen

• FC Viktoria Plzen are unbeaten in their last five (W3, D2).
• FC Viktoria Plzen, meanwhile, have had a much better European campaign to date, occupying 17th position in the UEFA Europa League 2025-2026 and picking up 11 points from their 7 games.
• Plzen are no strangers to ceding possession, but their ability to disrupt opposing teams’ build-up play, and hit on the counter is a real weapon.
• Rafiu Durosinmi leads their scoring charts in this competition with 2 goals in 6 games, whilst Lukas Cerv has netted twice in his last 5 appearances for the club.

Key Players

• Xherdan Shaqiri - main attacking threat, netting three in seven Europa League appearances and five of his team’s 15 goals in their last five games across all competitions.
• Rafiu Durosinmi - leads Plzen’s scoring charts in this competition with 2 goals in 6 games.

Betting Insights

• Basel are just slight favorites at 1.9, with Plzen priced at 3.55 and the draw at 3.8.
• We’ll be betting on Over 2.5 goals at 1.67.

Prediction

• With Basel looking a little shaky and their new manager perhaps lacking the time to make an impression on this squad, we expect this Europa League tie to be a close and gruelling game.
• With the clear contrast in tactics between these sides, we think it could be a high-scoring game.