Samsunspor (home)
- Samsunspor won the first leg of this tie 1-0 in a tough trip to North Macedonia last week.
- Samsunspor’s 1-0 aggregate lead looks a solid foundation for them to build on against North Macedonian minnows FK Shkendija 79 in this UEFA Conference League 2025-2026 playoff second leg on Thursday.
- Samsunspor boss Thorsten Fink is an experienced tactician with a solid background in possession-based, structured football that doesn’t concede many goals.
- Fink has a few big-game weapons to rely on, but none more so than forward Marius Mouandilmadji, who got the only goal in the opening leg.
- He gets into dangerous positions and has scored in both European and domestic competitions for his club this term.
- The other half of Samsunspor’s strikeforce is the physical presence Cherif Ndiaye, who missed a penalty last time out, but offers a different sort of attacking threat in terms of hold-up play and aerial ability.
Shkendija (away)
- Jeton Bekiri’s men are more pragmatic and direct, setting up in a compact shape and looking to attack on the break with their pacey forwards getting behind the opposition full-backs.
- The Shkendija boss seems to be getting a lot right domestically, where his team have been scoring freely in recent league games.
- Baboucarr Gaye is the rock at the back, where the visitors have kept things tight domestically.
- Defenders like Baboucarr Gaye keep the team solid and allow the team’s chief playmaker Liridon Latifi the freedom to create and score goals on his own terms.
- Latifi tops the Shkendija charts for chances created and goals scored in both their domestic and Conference League campaigns.
Head-to-Head
Samsunspor won the first leg of this tie 1-0 in a tough trip to North Macedonia last week.
Samsunspor
- Fink has a few big-game weapons to rely on, but none more so than forward Marius Mouandilmadji, who got the only goal in the opening leg.
- He gets into dangerous positions and has scored in both European and domestic competitions for his club this term.
- The other half of Samsunspor’s strikeforce is the physical presence Cherif Ndiaye, who missed a penalty last time out, but offers a different sort of attacking threat in terms of hold-up play and aerial ability.
Shkendija
- Baboucarr Gaye is the rock at the back, where the visitors have kept things tight domestically.
- Defenders like Baboucarr Gaye keep the team solid and allow the team’s chief playmaker Liridon Latifi the freedom to create and score goals on his own terms.
- Latifi tops the Shkendija charts for chances created and goals scored in both their domestic and Conference League campaigns.
Betting Insights
- Samsunspor are 1.3 favorites here, which seems about right considering they have the aggregate lead and home advantage, but Shkendija are 8.95 and the draw is 4.9, which suggests the bookies are expecting a home victory.
- Over 2.5 goals looks a fair bet at 1.67 for a game that could be nervy and tense in a tight atmosphere with the game’s importance hanging over the 90 minutes.
Prediction
- Shkendija have performed above their weight in this competition so far and cannot be discounted for a goal, but the hosts have more class and should edge the match.
- Samsunspor should win, but don’t be surprised if it is only by the one goal, or even a draw, that takes them through.
