Sligo Rovers v Bala Town FC Betting Tips [14 July 2022]

The second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round sees Ireland’s Sligo Rovers host Wales’ Bala Town at The Showgrounds on Thursday. A 2-1 away victory for Rovers in Wales last week sees the home team as the overwhelming favorites to better their finish in last year’s Conference League where they were eliminated at this stage against Icelandic club FH. Sligo Rovers also have the advantage of being in the midst of their current domestic league season, meaning that the players should be fully match fit and up to speed. The hosts currently sit fifth in the Irish Premier League with 8-8-6 record and come into this match in an excellent vein of form, riding a seven match unbeaten run. The visiting Bala Town are currently in their off-season but ended the last campaign second in the Cymru Premier division with a 16-11-5 record. 

Bala Town ended last season on a strong run of form, winning seven of their final eight matches. However, they have lost two of the last three in the build up to this match including the 2-1 defeat in the first leg. They come into this match as the underdogs and will have to contend with a Sligo Rovers side that has been putting up impressive home results in the past few weeks. Sligo has won their last three straight matches on home soil, scoring eight goals in total, and is on a current run of three wins from their last four matches overall. The Irish Premier League is ranked higher on UEFA’s country coefficients coming in at 40th while the Welsh Cymru Premier comes in at 50th. 

We’re going to back Sligo Rovers on the -1 Asian Handicap as our pick for this match. This means that Rovers will have to win by at least two goals for our bet to cash while a one goal margin of victory for the hosts will result in our stake being returned. Sligo Rovers should be in better shape coming into this matchup due to their season being in full swing as well as playing in the more competitive Irish Premier League. Sligo should be going for the win here given that they only hold a one goal aggregate lead so complacency shouldn’t be an issue.