Preview:Hacken vs. Anderlecht - prediction, team news, lineups

Hacken's attempt to overturn a narrow defeat to Anderlecht last week in the Europa League second qualifying round sees the Swedish side host the Belgian team in Thursday's second leg at Hisingen Arena.

The Wasps fell 1-0 in Brussels last Thursday, a defeat which is by no means unrealistic to overturn in their ambition to reach the Main Path third qualifying round, where the winner of this week’s tie could meet either Brann or Red Bull Salzburg.

Match preview

Hacken could not capitalise on having more competitive match action than Anderlecht this season, as they lost 1-0 in Brussels. meaning they must at least win in 90 minutes on Thursday to force extra time.

While that objective is certainly achievable, Jens Gustafsson’s men do not enter the return leg in good form after failing to secure a win in any competition since beating Trnava in the previous round and prevailing 4-1 against Halmstad in a league match.

They have subsequently recorded two draws and two defeats, the latter being a 6-1 thrashing by Djurgarden on Sunday, just three days after their 1-0 loss to Anderlecht in Brussels.

Still shaken by that humbling, where the Wasps were reduced to nine men, Gustafsson’s team are seeking a response against their Belgian visitors to break their four-match winless streak across all competitions.

However, Hacken’s ongoing issues with clean sheets — having conceded twice to Trnava (2-2), lost to Thursday's opponents last week and let in six in the Allsvenskan — have supporters anxious about their team's prospects.

The Swedish side, however, must find solutions against the Belgian giants, who enter Thursday's encounter in contrasting form to them, having gone unbeaten in pre-season and securing back-to-back victories in competitive fixtures.

One of those wins came last week when Kasper Dolberg's 35th-minute strike in Brussels gave Besnik Hasi’s men a narrow advantage before the crucial reverse fixture in Gothenburg.

Les Mauve et Blanc then followed that slender triumph with with an impressive 5-2 win over Westerlo in the opening gameweek of the Belgian Pro League.

Considering pre-season results, Anderlecht's unbeaten streak now extends to six matches, comprising four wins and two draws since they reconvened after the previous campaign concluded.

Having lost their final four matches across all competitions last season, with three of those setbacks featuring two or more goals conceded, Sporting's new season has started smoothly.

Hasi’s men aim to maintain their perfect record in competitive fixtures by advancing to the third qualifying round of the competition.

Hacken Europa League form:

Hacken form (all competitions):

Anderlecht Europa League form:

Anderlecht form (all competitions):

Team News

Hacken have several injury concerns, with Brice Wembangomo, Jacob Laursen, Isak Brusberg and Peter Abrahamsson all unlikely to play on Thursday.

Unquestionably out are Johan Hammar (Achilles) and Leo Vaisanen (knee), who are long-term absentees.

Amor Layouni has nine goal involvements in the league in 2024-25 (five goals, four assists), three more than Samuel Holm (four goals, two assists), and the pair aim to be decisive as Hacken seek a turnaround.

While Dolberg was an unused substitute in the 5-2 thrashing of Westerlo at the weekend, last season's 24-goal man, who scored the only goal in last week's reverse fixture in Brussels, should return to the Anderlecht lineup.

Although the Belgian outfit suffered no apparent injuries in the league victory, Elyess Dao and Killian Sardella are uncertain to feature for Les Mauve et Blanc this Thursday.

Hacken possible starting lineup:

Berisha; Hilvenius, Andersen, Lode, Lindqvist; Holm, Gustafson; Layouni, Svanback, Ngabo; Hrstic

Anderlecht possible starting lineup:

Coosemans; Maamar, Simic, Hey, N’Diaye; Llansana, Kana; Stroeykens, Verschaeren, Hazard; Dolberg

We say: Hacken 1-1 Anderlecht (Anderlecht win 2-1 on aggregate)

Although Hacken have the advantage in playing more minutes, the Swedish club’s recent form and tendency to concede goals are likely to weaken their chances of progression against an Anderlecht side that have carried their pre-season momentum into competitive matches, making them favourites to win the tie and progress to the next round in Europa League qualifying.

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