Thun and Heart of Midlothian will meet in this UEFA Conference League clash with neither side yet to win a league phase match this season and both sitting outside the top-24 of the standings.
Match News and Current Form
Thun are the lower-placed of these two sides (32nd) after they lost their opening two games 1-0, which also left them as the only team yet to score in the Conference League this term. The signs are not promising for the reigning Swiss top-flight champions who are looking to end a seven-match losing streak in major European competition, and things have not been any easier at home for Gian-Luca Privitelli’s men who have lost their last four games at the Visana Stadion across all competitions. They should be buoyed by having come from 4-1 down at Lausanne-Sport on Sunday to incredibly win 5-4, a result they’ll hope is a turning point in their season.
Hearts are faring slightly better (28th; D1, L1), but they will be hurting after losing a Scottish League Cup semi-final 2-1 to Edinburgh rivals Hibernian on Sunday after leading 1-0. Wouter Vrancken needs to rally his troops quickly and remind them of the character they showed at SK Rapid to win on penalties and qualify for this stage of the Conference League after battling for long spells with ten men. That result was a rare European away victory for the Jambos, who have lost five of their last six away main draw games in the Conference League, falling to defeat without scoring in each of the last three.
Head-to-Head History
Thun have never faced a Scottish side before, while Hearts are the only Scottish team to have won away to a Swiss outfit in the last 14 such attempts in major European competition (D4, L9).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Six of Thun’s last seven games were decided by a one-goal margin at most.
Thun have not led at half-time in normal time in their last six matches.
Hearts scored in 19 of their last 20 competitive games.
The team scoring first won just four of Hearts’ last eight matches in all competitions.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Brighton Labeau got a brace in Thun’s turnaround in Lausanne, with five of his last six scoring appearances coming in games with over 4.5 goals. Hearts’ Cláudio Braga opened the scoring in the loss to Hibs, with that goal being one of just two of his last nine to have arrived before half-time.
Thun teenager Patrik Kristal is no longer suspended in the Conference League, while fellow youngster Louis Passavant was unavailable against Lausanne-Sport. Rogers Mato was absent for Hearts against Hibs, with Calvin Miller and Tómas Bent Magnússon forced off in that contest.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Hearts to score and over 2.5 total goals seems sensible given Thun’s high-scoring and closely fought recent games domestically.
Author: Alex Bowmer