HJK vs Aberdeen Prediction: Dons to Save Face with an Away Win

Europa Conference League action returns on Thursday, and Aberdeen are in action, taking on HJK in Group G. Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse expects the Dons to get off the mark with an overdue win…

HJK knows they can’t qualify for the next round and are fighting to avoid the bottom of the group. Finishing fourth of four teams in UEFA’s third-tier tournament, isn’t the return to European football HJK and its fans had hoped for. However, there’s still time to avoid the wooden spoon, especially if they beat fellow strugglers Aberdeen on Thursday from 17:45 GMT. A grandstand finish is required if HJK is to finish in third.

Aberdeen also can’t qualify for the knockout stages, even if they score back-to-back wins. The Dons trail leaders PAOK Salonika by eight points and are already seven behind recent Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in second. Both teams are fighting to save face, but which will grab a morale-boosting three points and their first Conference League win?

Team News

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for HJK in this campaign and they enter round five stuck hard to the bottom of the pool. The home team’s stats read one draw and three defeats from their previous four games, scoring three goals but conceding 11. They’re out of their depth and set up for matchday five following back-to-back defeats.

HJK Helsinki suffered home and away losses to Frankfurt, conceding seven goals while failing to find the net. The home dressing room is low on confidence but knows Aberdeen isn’t much better, and the locals will view this game as their best chance to grab a victory that might pave the way for future success in this competition, should they return.

Dons struggle on

Aberdeen fans were overjoyed to see their team qualify for a European competition, and there’s a generation of Dons supporters who have never seen their side perform on the continent. The glory years of Aberdeen mixing it with Europe’s elite are long gone, but the Conference League gives fans something to savour. They can watch their team play in Europe without the fear of suffering a huge defeat.

The early optimism that accompanied Aberdeen’s return to Europe quickly died as the Dons seemed to stumble from one defeat to the next. They are second from the bottom of the pool with two draws and a pair of defeats to show for their efforts. The visitors earned a 2-2 away to pool leaders PAOK Salonika last time and caught the eye with a hard-fought 1-1 home draw with Rangers at the weekend. Will they keep building and finally get that elusive win in Europe at the expense of HJK?

HJK v Aberdeen Odds

If you have an account with Betfred or are looking to join and land the generous welcome bonus for new customers, the HJK v Aberdeen betting odds and markets are waiting. There’s plenty to choose from, with over 100 pre-match and in-play gambling markets available on the website and app.

The current betting odds available at Betfred on this Europa Conference League has a win for HJK at 5/4, which is shorter than the 2/1 for Aberdeen and the 5/2 available on the draw. The latter is interesting as these sides fought out a memorable 1-1 finish in the Granite City last month in the reverse of this fixture.

Bet 1: Both teams to score @ 8/13

Our first of two bets on HJK v Aberdeen sees us target the 8/13 available on both teams to score. That’s a worthwhile shout, as it would’ve rewarded backers with a return when the pair met at Pittodrie in October. It would’ve also been a winning bet in Aberdeen’s trip to Salonika and their home game against PAOK.

Checking on the recent domestic form of these teams, both teams scored when Aberdeen played Rangers on Sunday, beat Motherwell 4-2 at Fir Park and in their 2-1 League Cup win over Ross County. HJK’s recent results show they scored against KPS Kuopio, VPS Vaasa, and SJK. Both teams are playing for pride, and we expect goals.

Bet 2: Back Aberdeen win @ 2/1

We fancy Aberdeen to snatch a morale-boosting win away to HJK Helsinki to cement third place. The Dons are improving under manager Barry Robson and take heart from Sunday’s draw at home with Rangers, conceding only a late penalty that Gers captain James Tavernier scored. A similar effort should be enough to gift Aberdeen fans something worthwhile to cheer in their Europa Conference League campaign.

Like the visitors, HJK is playing for pride, and that should make things interesting. But with the home team bottom of the league with no chance of salvaging their campaign, the atmosphere will lack passion and cutting-edge. Aberdeen looks good value for an away win at the generous 2/1 offered by Betfred.

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out his and all the other Football Betting Tips from the team on our main Football index page...