It would be an understatement to say that Hearts are in poor form heading into this match, with the team having lost 11 of their last 15 top-flight games in the Europa League.
Although Plzen hasn’t been at their best this season, they have still managed to secure eight wins in their last 11 matches at this level.
Plzen’s away games in the Europa League often feature plenty of goals, with over 2.5 goals being scored in 17 of their last 20 matches on the road. Similarly, 19 of Hearts’ last 20 home matches in top-tier Spanish football have also seen at least two goals scored, so it seems likely that this trend will continue.
In 14 of Hearts’ last 18 matches in the Europa League, at least one of the two goalkeepers has kept a clean sheet. This has also been the case in 16 of Plzen’s last 19 away games at this level, suggesting that it’s unlikely both teams will score in this encounter.
Prediction
In 11 of Hearts’ last 16 home matches in the Europa League, one of the goalkeepers has kept a clean sheet, making for relatively low-scoring games. Considering that seven of Plzen’s last ten away matches have followed a similar pattern, any deviation from this could be surprising.
Prediction: Hearts 0 : 3 Plzen
