LASK Linz v Zrinjski Mostar

LASK Linz vs Zrinjski Preview

Austrian hosts, LASK Linz, have made a steady start to their new domestic top flight campaign and they will be looking to continue this positivity into this 1st leg tie of the play-offs in the Europa League when they play host to Bosnia-Herzegovina outfit, Zrinjski, on Thursday night.

The Austrian Bundesliga season is only four matches into the new campaign but LASK Linz have lost just once, picked up a win and gained points in two draws so they'll be in fairly confident mood they can take a lead from this tie into next week's return leg in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The loss came in the form of a 2-0 defeat away from home at Sturm Graz but a 2-0 home win against local rivals, Blau-Weiss Linz along with points gained in draws with Rapid Vienna and WSG Tirol have set the hosts back on an even keel.

The bigger picture shows LASK have suffered just the one defeat in their previous 10 matches in all competitions and the hosts have picked up seven wins in the process during this period as well, while just two losses in their last 22 home games suggest LASK Linz will be tough opponents for Zrinjski here.

Onto Zrinjski and the visitors played their opening game of the new domestic Bosnia-Herzegovinan season on the weekend which resulted in a comprehensive 3-1 home win for Zrinjski over GOSK Gabela which will give them a welcome boost ahead of this European tie.

Zrinjski started this new term in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League with a win on penalties against Urartu but then lost to Slovan Bratislava 3-2 on aggregate which saw them dumped out of the elite competition.

However, Zrinjski have made progress in the Europa League as they accounted for Icelandic side Breidablik with a 6-3 win on aggregate to progress through to this play-off stage before determining who goes through to the group stage of this season's competition.

Results away from home have been fairly ordinary where Zrinjski have been concerned as the visitors have managed to capture just one win from their last five matches on their travels which was a 1-0 win at Urartu but losses at Tuzla City, Mura and Breidablik suggest this upcoming trip to the Raiffeisen Arena could prove to be a tough proposition for Zrinjski.

LASK Linz v Zrinjski Verdict

LASK Linz have made a steady start to their season and their form and results on home soil at their Raiffeisen Arena in particular have been very impressive and underline how tough they have been to beat in their own backyard.

Zrinjski's recent form on the road suggests they may struggle in this 1st leg.

Therefore, our main bet will be LASK Linz win @ 1.57

Other side bets worth considering:

Over 2.5 goals @ 1.66

Correct score: LASK Linz 2-1 @ 8.50