Will the visitors squander too many chances?
The Czech representative is trailing 0-1 from the first leg. We think a comeback is possible in our Servette vs. Viktoria Pilsen tip. Guest coach Miroslav Koubek is an extremely experienced coach, has known his team for more than two years and is a man of Czech football.
Last weekend, both teams missed out on success in their domestic competitions. That doesn’t make the Servette vs. Viktoria Pilsen prediction any easier. The home side lost 1-3 to a clearly superior Young Boys team, while Viktorka let a seemingly certain victory against Jablonec slip away in stoppage time (1-1).
Servette Geneva – Statistics & current form
The defense still lacks coordination. Details need to be improved and the individual level raised. If this is not achieved, a difficult season lies ahead, even at the national level. Thomas Häberli recently led his team into the second season of his tenure.
The successful, albeit fortunate, opening win in the Czech Republic (1-0) was followed by a clear 1-3 defeat in the first league game against Young Boys. The defense was unconvincing against both Viktoria Pilsen (2.01 xGA) and Bern (3.09 xGA). However, Les Grenats were down to ten men from the eighth minute of their league opener.
The Grenats’ hopes rest, among other things, on the skills of goalkeeper Joel Mall, who prevented 0.68 expected goals in the first leg. His qualities give the Servette – Viktoria Pilsen odds of “under 2.5 goals” respectable value.
A favourable situation for Servette
If the home side avoid defeat, they will advance to the next qualifying round. This scenario could be seen as revenge for the last meeting between the two sides. In the 2023/24 season, the two clubs faced each other in the round of 16 of the Conference League.
After 180 goalless minutes, the Swiss team lost on penalties. Just like in this year’s qualifying first leg (0.34 xG), the Geneva side scored less than one expected goal (0.77 xG; 0.83 xG) in both matches.
As the bookmakers’ Servette vs. Viktoria Pilsen odds suggest, we see the hosts as underdogs. The advantage for Häberli’s team is the constellation. Servette can defend a lead in their own stadium.
Predicted line-up:
Mall – Magnin, Rouiller, Severin, Mazikou – Cognat, Baron, Antunes – Stevanovic, Mraz, Ouattara
Viktoria Pilsen – Statistics & current form
Success has come thick and fast since the club won its first championship in 2011. The visitors now have six national titles in their trophy cabinet. However, there were times when Viktorka made a name for themselves as a yo-yo team.
The visitors’ history is littered with 29 relegations to the Czech second division. Such phases are now a thing of the past. A past that coach Miroslav Koubek knows only too well. The 73-year-old is in his third spell at Viktoria Pilsen.
In his two previous stints, Koubek experienced both relegation and a championship. Since 2023, the 73-year-old has once again been at the helm of this team and has collected an average of 2.07 points per game in 114 matches.
Viktoria Pilsen fears elimination
Despite losing the first leg 0-1, the visitors’ fans should still have a good chance of advancing. Viktoria had a clear advantage in terms of chances (23:7 shots) and collected significantly more expected goals (2.01:0.34 xG).
Even without taxes, betting providers tend to see the Czech representative as the favorite. Koubek’s team has consistently mixed it up on the international stage in recent years. In 2022/23, Pilsen took part in the Champions League group stage. A year later, the club was only eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Conference League against Fiorentina (0-0, 0-2 a.e.t.). Last year, they challenged Lazio Rome in the round of 16 of the Europa League (1-2, 1-1).
The Viktorka defense is particularly difficult to overcome in European competitions. In the 2024/2025 Europa League qualifiers, the six-time Czech champions finished three of four games without conceding a goal.
Predicted line-up:
Jedlicka – Dweh, Markovic, Jemelka – Memic, Ladra, Cerv, Spacil – Sulc, Durosinmi, Vydra
Servette Geneva – Viktoria Pilsen Head-to-head record
Since 2024, Servette has scored only one goal in regular time in three direct encounters. All three matches contained a maximum of one goal, even though the expected goals exceeded this figure in two of the three encounters. The Czech side has mostly struggled to convert its chances.
Servette Geneva – Viktoria Plzeň Tip
We expect high commitment and unbridled determination from the home side, who will focus exclusively on defense in the Servette – Viktoria Plzen prediction. As in the first leg, targeted counterattacks will be few and far between, so we believe the home side will score no more than one goal.
Viktoria Pilsen has to make up a 0-1 deficit away from home and will probably have to deal with most of the possession. How many solutions will the visitors find against a deep-lying block when their strength lies more in defense? You can guess our answer by betting on “Under 2.5 goals in the game.”
