Basel vs Viktoria Plzen Prediction: Czech visitors can land crucial win

Basel have struggled in this season's Europa League, and their time in the competition could come to an end when they welcome Viktoria Plzen to St. Jakob-Park on Thursday evening (20:00 GMT, Discovery+). The Swiss outfit need to win and hope results elsewhere go their way, but there is no guarantee any of those things will happen for them, and Plzen will have their eye on a seeded play-off place.

Below are my Basel vs Viktoria Plzen predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Basel are missing Moritz Broschinski, Metinho, Keigo Tsunemoto and Kaio Eduardo because of injury, while Junior Ze was recently loaned out to FC Midtjylland.

Football Odds

Plzen are expected to be without Christophe Kabongo, who came off after only 34 minutes against Porto last week, while Lukas Hejda, Jan Kopic and Jan Paluska are all sidelined.

Adam Kadlec, Patrik Hrosovsky, David Krcik and Dominik Tapaj are all doubts.

Basel vs Viktoria Plzen Odds

Basel are the 19/20 favourites to come out on top, with the draw priced at 11/4 and Plzen 13/5 to claim the spoils.

Under 2.5 goals is on offer at 11/10, and it is 8/13 for both teams to score, a bet that has landed in eight of Basel's last nine matches.

Viktoria Plzen to win @ 11/4

It has been a disappointing league phase for Basel, and they head into this clash sitting 27th in the standings, knowing nothing less than a win is required to stand any chance of qualifying.

The Swiss outfit have been inconsistent since the turn of the year, following a 1-1 draw against Sion in the Super League with a costly 3-1 defeat at Salzburg in the Europa League last week.

Basel needed a 94th-minute winner to defeat Zurich on Sunday, and Stephan Lichtsteiner's side are not quite clicking, which spells bad news as they prepare to host Plzen, who have proven to be a tough nut to crack.

Today's Football Fixtures

Martin Hysky's troops are unbeaten in the league phase, winning twice and drawing five times to leave them in 17th place, behind Nottingham Forest in 16th position on goals scored.

Plzen have failed to score in three of their last four European assignments, but they should get more opportunities to come forward, given Basel need to play more attacking and get a victory at all costs.

Basel's desperation for the win can play into the hands of Plzen, who can hit quickly on the break and secure a precious three points that could secure them a seeded play-off spot.

Lukas Cerv anytime goalscorer @ 13/2

Plzen haven't been blessed with goals in this competition, scoring just seven from as many appearances, but they should have a few more opportunities to net in Switzerland, and Lukas Cerv provides value in the anytime market.

The 24-year-old midfielder opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw against Porto last week, and he looks worth siding with to notch for the second match in a row.

At 6ft, the Czech Republic international provides a decent aerial threat from set-pieces and he can grab another crucial goal for Plzen.

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