Europa League, Thursday, 09/26/2024 at 9:00 PM CET
Eintracht Frankfurt is a really strange team. Sometimes things don’t go well for months.
Then again, the Hessians are among the most stable Bundesliga teams of all. The transition from “crisis” to “high-flying” and back again seems almost intangible.
The bad news for Viktoria Pilsen is that on the first matchday of the 2024/25 Europa League season, the Czechs will face a Eintracht team that is in the midst of a high-flying phase and is likely to prove to be a step too far in this form.
Accordingly, in my Frankfurt Viktoria Pilsen betting tip, I expect the Bundesliga side to make short work of the underdog and take the lead by the half-time break. In any case, it is fair to ask whether Pilsen will be able to make positive headlines on the international stage this season.
In the Czech Chance League, which is already eight matchdays old, Viktoria is already having major problems keeping pace with the two top teams from Prague (Slavia and Sparta) at the top of the table.
An away defeat to a strong Frankfurt team would not come out of the blue. In terms of goal betting, however, the question arises as to whether Pilsen can be trusted to score at least one goal.
In the further course of my Frankfurt Viktoria Pilsen forecast, I would like to explain to you why I prefer the “Over 2.5 goals” bet to the classic “Both teams score” in this case with our betting providers.
But as usual, I would like to start with the simple 1×2 odds, which already give us a first feeling for what the big betting providers have in mind for the Europa League opener.
The bookmakers’ forecast
One thing is clear: there is not the slightest doubt about Frankfurt’s role as favorites. In fact, the odds for a home win at just under 1.40 can only be played as a single bet with a great deal of grinding of teeth.
The 8.75 for an away win for Viktoria Pilsen sounds lucrative, of course. But I simply cannot imagine SGE losing at home on Thursday.
Even a draw would be a surprise for me. So the 5.00 for a draw is also out of the question for me. Ergo: a 1×2 bet is out of the question for me with Frankfurt vs. Pilsen.
ChatGPT prediction for Frankfurt vs Viktoria Pilsen: That’s what ChatGPT predicts.
With regard to the Frankfurt Viktoria Pilsen AI prediction, I am extremely ambivalent. As a high-risk tip, ChatGPT suggests the bet “Frankfurt win & both teams score”.
Since I don’t necessarily believe that the Czechs will score, I remain rather skeptical.
For medium risk, the AI comes up with the bet “Over 3.5 goals”. And here, too, I cannot remain without criticism.
Eintracht Frankfurt did not exactly stand out as a goal machine at the beginning of the season and after four Bundesliga games, they “only” have seven goals. So a 3-0 win for SGE against Pilsen is more likely than a 5-2.
We have already looked at the low-risk bet. Here ChatGPT picks Frankfurt’s home win.
Of course, I fully agree here. However, since the odds are quite low, I see the “tip 1” more as an addition to a combination ticket.
Analysis: Frankfurt vs Viktoria Plzen
While all the doubters of Frankfurt initially saw themselves confirmed after the opening defeat in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund, the SGE world looks much friendlier again before the clash with Plzen.
Three wins later, the Hessians are in fourth place in the table and have only conceded two goals since the BVB game.
If Eintracht holds Pilsen completely harmless, you can get a strong odds of around 2.05 for a clean sheet game from the Bundesliga club.
It is worth noting that in the last three wins, Frankfurt was already leading at half-time.
I am not really convinced by Viktoria Pilsen. They have not had to struggle with acute form problems in the recent past.
However, the recent 3-0 defeat against Slavia Prague shows that Pilsen simply cannot keep up with stronger teams.
The rather poor performances in the Europa League qualifiers against Krywyj Rih (2:1, 1:0) and Heart of Midloathian (1:0, 1:0) already suggest that the Czechs will not easily make it into the top 24 in the main round of the EL.
Odds Analysis
In the betting odds, two classics are coming to the fore even without a odds boost. The “Both teams to score” is listed at an above-average 1.80, but ultimately the bet is out of the question for me.
Frankfurt’s defensive strength and the Czechs’ problems against stronger teams make the bet rather unattractive for me.
I prefer to go for the “Over 2.5 goals” option, as this also covers a high clean sheet for Frankfurt. Ultimately, you can also consider a handicap win for SGE.
For a HC -1, the odds already climb to 1.95. And a 2-0 victory for SGE is certainly not an unrealistic scenario.
Frankfurt vs. Viktoria Pilsen Odds: SGE is strong at home!
SGE has been almost flawless at home so far. After two Bundesliga games, SGE has six points and a goal ratio of 5:1.
Only BVB was even more successful at home during the first few match days. At the same time, Viktoria Pilsen has played solidly, but by no means outstandingly, away from home this season.
After five away games, they have a record of two wins, two draws and one defeat in the league. Even the “double chance X2” at odds of 3.25 is out of the question for me.
The direct comparison is unfortunately of no help at this point. In fact, Frankfurt and Viktoria Pilsen will meet for the first time ever on Thursday.
Overall, the points of contact with the Czech league for the SGE are limited.
The only time they have met was in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals against Zbrojovka Brno in the 1979/80 season, when Frankfurt won the first leg 4-1 but then let the reins slip in the second leg (3-2).
For Viktoria Plzen, the Bundesliga is not unknown territory. They have already played 13 games against German teams so far.
However, the games were rarely crowned with success. So far, there have only been two wins against KSC.
In addition, there were three draws and eight defeats.
In general, European Cup evenings are not uncommon for the Czechs. Between 2011 and 2023, they were even represented four times in the group stage of the Champions League.
In the previous season, they also made it to the quarter-finals of the Conference League. There they just lost out to AC Florence (0-0, 0-2 a.e.t.).
So you shouldn’t assume that Viktoria Pilsen will be awestruck in Frankfurt given the situation.
Conclusion: I expect that Eintracht Frankfurt will continue against Viktoria Pilsen where they left off against Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-0).
I expect the Bundesliga club to start strongly, but without actually steamrolling the opposition.
A 1-0 or 2-0 half-time lead is entirely possible, allowing them to take it easy again in the second half. For Viktoria Pilsen, the clash with Frankfurt, who are in great form, has simply come at the wrong time.
My Frankfurt Viktoria Pilsen is therefore: SGE goes into half-time with a lead.
