Thun’s focus is on European competition
While many clubs are understandably still finding their rhythm in their domestic leagues in early August, FC Thun’s priority is currently crystal clear: Europe takes top priority. Coach Gian-Luca Privitelli recently didn’t even shy away from rotating his lineup in the Super League to rest some key players for the Europa League qualifiers. This impressively underscores just how important this international campaign is for the Swiss surprise champions.
Advancing to the playoffs of Europe’s second-most important club competition would be a milestone both on the field and financially, and would seamlessly continue the success story of last season. For that reason alone, there’s a strong case for backing the team from the Bernese Oberland in the match between Thun and Víkingur Reykjavík, even though the opponent should by no means be underestimated.
Nevertheless, FC Thun isn’t heading into this first leg in front of a home crowd at the Stockhorn Arena with a sense of overconfidence. The dramatic elimination against Dinamo Zagreb still stings deeply. Despite a 2–0 lead in the second leg, the surprise champions ultimately fell 2–3 in extra time after Marco Bürki received a red card—which means he’ll logically be suspended and miss Thursday’s match.
As if that weren’t enough, a sobering 0–6 loss followed over the weekend in the cantonal derby against Young Boys in front of their home crowd. The big question, therefore, is: How well has the team recovered from these two setbacks? My Thun vs. Víkingur Reykjavík prediction is that these two setbacks haven’t necessarily hurt the team—but may instead have sharpened their focus once again. That’s why I’m also expecting a positive result for the home team.
Not least because the Icelandic champions also fell to Hapoel Beer Sheva in the Champions League qualifiers and are, in terms of quality, below the level of the Swiss side. While the Icelanders bring international experience to the table, I still believe FC Thun has the greater individual quality.
What you should also know about Víkingur Reykjavík: The Icelanders are by no means newcomers to top-tier European soccer. In 2024/25, the capital city club pulled off one of the competition’s biggest upsets by advancing to the Conference League’s intermediate round, making history as the first Icelandic club to achieve this feat.
Incidentally, the Black-and-Reds are once again cruising through their domestic league this season and lead the standings by seven points after 17 matchdays. I definitely think the visitors are capable of scoring at least one goal; after all, they’ve failed to score in only one of their past 29 competitive matches.
At the same time, Thun is known for putting on a show. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in a competitive match since February 25; both teams regularly score when playing in the Bernese Oberland, while Thun’s defense has looked vulnerable time and again recently. That’s exactly why there are several interesting betting opportunities.
However, what convinces me the most in the Thun vs. Víkingur Reykjavík matchup are the odds of 1.83 for an FC Thun lead-to-win (HT1/FT1), because despite their recent setbacks, I see the Swiss as the more mature and individually stronger team over 90 minutes.
Thun – Víkingur Reykjavík Head-to-Head Record
Looking at past history is of limited help in this case, as FC Thun and Víkingur Reykjavík are facing each other for the very first time. In fact, the team from the Bernese Oberland has never faced an Icelandic club in a UEFA competition before, so they have absolutely no direct experience playing against teams from Iceland. For Víkingur, this matchup against a Swiss team is also a first on the international stage. Consequently, the head-to-head data is practically meaningless for the Thun vs. Víkingur Reykjavík betting odds.
Thun – Víkingur Reykjavík Prediction
The key question heading into this first leg is: What impact have the bitter Champions League elimination against Dinamo Zagreb and the subsequent 0–6 thrashing by the Young Boys had on the surprise Super League champions? Doubts are certainly warranted after a week like that. At the same time, however, there are many reasons to believe that FC Thun will deliver the right response.
The team from the Bernese Oberland has clearly focused on European competition this season, enjoys home-field advantage, and—despite all the setbacks—possesses greater individual quality compared to the Icelandic champions. If they can put the disappointments behind them, I believe there’s a strong case for a successful European Cup evening at the Stockhorn Arena.
Since I see FC Thun as having a clear overall advantage despite their recent setbacks, I’m going with the HT1/FT1 bet for the Thun vs. Víkingur Reykjavík matchup. The 1.83 odds are worth a bet of five units to me, as I believe the team from the Bernese Oberland will get off to a focused start and take the lead by halftime.
