- 1 Gent vs Hibernian: two hard-earned advances
- 2 Gent: three games in 10 days and a goal in every outing
- 3 Hibernian: a 0-0 in Skopje and a statement win at Ibrox
- 4 Conference League prediction Gent vs Hibernian
- 5 First, a word on our free tips
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Gent vs Hibernian: two hard-earned advances 
Gent and Hibernian both squeezed through the third qualifying round with exactly the same aggregate score: 2-1. The numbers tell the story. Neither side has been exactly ruthless in front of goal this summer.
The Conference League play-off first leg is on Thursday, 20 August at the Planet Group Arena in Ghent. The second leg is set for 27 August at Easter Road in Edinburgh.
The Buffalos knocked out IFK Goteborg by winning 1-0 in Sweden on 6 August, with Hyllarion Goore striking just before half-time. The home leg on 13 August finished 1-1.
Hibernian followed a similar path against Shkendija. They won 2-1 at Easter Road on 6 August thanks to Owen Elding and Warren O’Hora, then drew 0-0 in Skopje on 13 August to seal the tie.
The split comes in domestic action. Gent followed up on 16 August with a 2-1 win at La Louviere in the Belgian league, just four days after their European tie.
Hibernian, meanwhile, had already claimed a win at Ibrox against Rangers in the Premiership. Beating the Glasgow club on their own patch is still a useful marker for any Scottish side.
Whoever comes through this tie goes into the league stage, with the draw set for 28 August. Thursday’s 90 minutes will go a long way to deciding how both clubs’ European seasons unfold.
The league stage draw is scheduled for 28 August, the day after the second leg. In other words, both clubs are playing for their autumn on these 180 minutes.
Gent: three games in 10 days and a goal in every outing 
Gent built their qualification on a controlled trip to Sweden. The 1-0 win at Goteborg on 6 August, sealed by Hyllarion Goore in the 45th minute, gave them a cushion for the whole tie.
The return leg on 13 August was a lot trickier. Mattheus Volckaert headed them in front from a Tiago Araujo cross, before Saidou Alioum levelled it up.
Shipping a goal at home in a knockout tie exposes the weak spots in a Belgian side’s back line. Still, the result was enough, with a 2-1 aggregate win for the Buffalos.
The Belgian league immediately rolled on with a trip to La Louviere on 16 August. Gent won 2-1 there too, underlining their ability to deliver on the road three days after a European match.
Across their last three competitive games, they have scored every time and never gone beyond two goals. It is not flashy, but it is steady, and it sums them up pretty well right now.
Playing the first leg at home is Gent’s biggest edge in this tie against Hibernian. The Planet Group Arena gives them the chance to control the game before the return in Scotland.
The Belgian schedule has been relentless since the start of the month. Three competitive games in 10 days have kept the squad sharp, but there is a price to pay for that kind of workload.
That is both a help and a concern for the Buffalos. The match sharpness is there, but the late stages could test their legs.
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Hibernian: a 0-0 in Skopje and a statement win at Ibrox 
Hibernian built their qualification on the first leg at Easter Road. Owen Elding and Warren O’Hora scored the two goals in the 2-1 win over Shkendija on 6 August, with Marko Gjorgjievski pulling one back for the North Macedonians.
The trip to North Macedonia demanded a very different approach. The 0-0 draw on 13 August came through discipline and organisation rather than any real attacking punch.
David Gray made four changes from the previous weekend for Hibernian. Owen Elding, Nathan Lowe, Felix Passlack and Callum Wright came in for Ante Suto, Thibault Klidje, Josh Campbell and Kanayo Megwa.
That rotation shows a manager handling his squad with Europe and league duties in mind. It also suggests the Scottish side have decent options in a few positions.
Still, the standout result remains the win at Ibrox against Rangers in the Premiership. Not many Scottish teams go to Glasgow and come back with all three points.
The concern is in the European numbers: two goals over 180 minutes, and none away from home. Repeat that in Belgium and the job gets a lot harder for the Hibs.
The Scottish Premiership has been up and running for several weeks now, so Hibernian are not short of competitive rhythm heading into this play-off.
Their ability to protect a result was clear in Skopje. Keeping a clean sheet away from home in a knockout tie takes structure, and Gray has plainly put that in place.
Probable Gent line-up: Not available at the time of publication.
Probable Hibernian line-up: Not available at the time of publication.
Conference League prediction Gent vs Hibernian
Our pick: Gent to win
Hibernian failed to score in their last away European match, a 0-0 in Skopje against an opponent of a lower standard than Thursday’s. Two goals across the third qualifying round point to a fairly limited attacking ceiling for the Scottish side.
Gent have won their last two away games, in Goteborg and La Louviere, and have scored in every match since the start of August. Starting at the Planet Group Arena gives the Buffalos the chance to build an advantage before the return at Easter Road.
Gent to win and take a lead into the league stage.
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