St Patrick’s Athletic vs Besiktas Prediction: Turkish visitors set for Dublin delight

St Patrick’s Athletic have regressed domestically this season, and they sit sixth despite finishing third and just four points off champions Shelbourne last term. Regardless, they have enjoyed themselves in Europe thus far, beating Hegelmann and Kalju to reach the third round of qualifying in the Uefa Conference League.

Below are my St Patrick's Athletic vs Besiktas predictions, alongside team news and match odds, for Thursday's match at the Tallaght Stadium (19:45 BST).

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were dumped out of the Europa League last week, but they should find things substantially easier against Saints and should be backed to take a lead back to Istanbul when they head to the Tallaght Stadium on Thursday.

Team News

Zach Elbouzedi picked up an injury in St Patrick’s first-leg victory over Kalju and is sidelined alongside Sean Hoare and Romal Palmer for Thursday’s clash.

Today's Football Fixtures

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Elan Ricardo are out for Besiktas, who could bring Milot Rashica and Orkun Kokcu back into the starting XI following a disappointing second leg against Shakhtar.

St Patrick's Athletic vs Besiktas Odds

Unsurprisingly, Besiktas are strong favourites to win on Thursday, with the Turkish side 2/11 to pick up the win in Dublin. The hosts are 12/1 underdogs, and the draw is 5/1.

Both teams to score looks an appealing bet at 5/4 and could be a good punting alternative for those unwilling to put faith in Solskjaer’s side to secure a win.

Besiktas to win and both teams to score @ 21/10

A 6-2 aggregate defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk was a disappointing way to fall at the first hurdle in Europa League qualifying, but Uefa’s second-chance policy means Besiktas should still make the league phase of the Conference League this term.

Solskjaer has hardly hit the ground running in Istanbul, winning just half of his 24 matches at the helm, but the Norwegian will fancy his chances of getting that record above 50% when his side head to Dublin to face a Saints team who have won only five of their last 12 games.

St Patrick’s will battle hard and should have enough to net against a shaky defence which has managed just two clean sheets in 15 competitive matches, but they may eventually be outscored by a star-studded attack which features Tammy Abraham, Rafa Silva and Joao Mario.

First team to score - St Patrick’s Athletic @ 18/5

It is a shame that Uefa rules mean St Patrick’s have to play their European home games at Shamrock Rovers’ Tallaght Stadium instead of their Richmond Park base, as they look set to give their supporters a real moment to cheer on Thursday.

Saints racked up a mammoth 59 shots across two legs against Estonian outfit Kalju, highlighting the attacking threat Stephen Kenny has at his disposal, and they should be backed to net first in Dublin.

Including friendlies, Besiktas have conceded the first goal in six of their last nine matches, including each of their last four, while St Patrick’s have got the ball rolling in five of their last six outings.

Offers

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