Preview: Strasbourg vs Breidablik - prediction, team news, lineups

Needing a win to have any hope of making the knockout stage of the Conference League, Breidablik will visit Stade de la Meinau on Thursday for a date with Strasbourg.

The French side are top of the League Phase table after claiming a narrow 1-0 triumph at Aberdeen on matchday five, while Blikar are two points below the knockout playoff line in 27th, thanks to a 3-1 win over Shamrock Rovers.

Match preview

Heading into the final matchday of the League Phase, Liam Rosenior has the comfort of knowing his side are guaranteed a place in the last 16 of this competition with 13 points.

Strasbourg are one of only two sides in the League Phase without a defeat thus far and could become only the second French team to end this stage unbeaten after Lille in 2023-24.

Lately, there have been two sides to them, one which is winless in four straight domestic outings with only one goal scored, while the other in Europe has seen them win three in a row by a combined margin of 5-2.

Heading into this contest, they are winless in their last two competitive games at Stade de la Meinau but have suffered only one defeat in their previous seven games played in Strasbourg (2-1 versus Brest).

Although they wound up on the losing end of their last five domestic one-goal games, they have won five times by that thin margin in this competition, four of which were in the League Phase.

Thursday will mark the first time they face a club from Iceland, and Le Racing are undefeated in three Conference League meetings this season versus Scandinavian opposition, defeating BK Hacken (2-1) and Brondby (3-2) while also drawing 0-0 with the latter at home.

A resilient matchday five performance last week has Breidablik in with a fighting chance to earn an improbable spot in the knockout round.

Coming into this decisive match, they sit two points below the knockout phase line, needing a win against Strasbourg and several teams above them to lose to advance.

If they can pull off the upset and get the help needed in other games, they would become the first club from Iceland to advance into the knockout portion of this tournament.

Olafur Ingi Skulason’s men have yet to claim a single point in the Conference League this season away from home, failing to find the back of the net as the visitors in the League Phase.

They have points in their last seven matches played across all competitions when netting multiple times, the previous one coming in Ireland versus Shamrock Rovers last week.

Blikar have not won consecutive competitive games since August, when they followed up a 2-1 Conference League playoff win over Virtus with a 3-1 win against them a week later.

Strasbourg Conference League form:

Strasbourg form (all competitions):

Breidablik Conference League form:

Team News

On matchday six, Strasbourg will be missing Saidou Sow, who is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear, Emmanuel Emegha remains doubtful with a leg injury and Maxi Oyedele will likely be rested due to muscle tightness.

Martial Godo scored 10 minutes before the break in Scotland, while Mike Penders only had to make one stop to pick up his first clean sheet in the League Phase.

From matchday four to five, there were two new faces in the Breidablik starting 11, with Andri Rafn Yeoman and Arnor Gauti Jonsson replacing Valgeir Valgeirsson and Anton Logi Ludviksson.

Viktor Orn Margeirsson, Oli Valur Omarsson and Kristinn JOnsson all scored for them against the Irish, keeping them in the hunt for a knockout stage berth.

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:

Penders; Doue, Doukoure, Omobamidele, Sobol; Amougou, Lemarechal, Luis; Godo, Amo-Ameyaw; Moreira

Breidablik possible starting lineup:

Einarsson; Valgeirsson, Muminovic, Margeirsson, Ingvarsson; Steindorsson, A. Jonsson, Gunlaugsson; Omarsson, Thorsteinsson, Bjarnason

We say: Strasbourg 1-0 Breidablik

Although the visitors are the ones with everything to play for, Strasbourg will want to use this as a confidence boost for Ligue 1 and go into the next phase of this tournament on a winning note.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.