Derry City's hopes of European progress are in peril as they welcome Croatian side Rijeka to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Thursday evening trailing 1-0 from the first leg.
The Candystripes gave a disciplined display for long spells in the first leg of this Conference League second qualifying round tie, but were undone by a goal from Toni Fruk early on in the second half.
They tried hard to get on terms but had to survive a late scare as the home side almost took the tie away from them.
Derry City v Rijeka Tips Summary
Best Bet - Rijeka to win & Both teams to score @ 3/1
Alternative Bet - Over 9.5 corners @ 11/10
Bet Builder - Both teams to score, Rijeka to win either half & Rijeka most corners @ 15/4
Derry City v Rijeka Prediction
Best Bet: Rijeka to win & Both teams to score @ 3/1
Derry acquitted themselves well for long spells in the first leg, but ultimately Rijeka had the quality to earn a deserved win as Fruk, fresh from World Cup duty with Croatia, scored the only goal early in the second half.
The home side had a host of long-range shots in the opening 45 minutes, which were either charged down or flew well over the bar, as they showed signs of rust in their first competitive game of the season.
Michael Duffy came close to putting Derry into the lead against the run of play on the stroke of half-time.
Mladen Devetak, Daniel Adu-Adjei and substitute Justas Lasickas all had chances to score, but Brian Maher was impressive in the Derry goal during the second half.
City will feel they can threaten back on their own patch. They scored in both legs of the Europa League qualifier against CSKA Sofia earlier in the month but lost both games and a similar fate could be in store for Tiernan Lynch's side here.
Alternative Bet: Over 9.5 corners @ 11/10
Rijeka took 13 corners in the first leg, while Derry managed four as the teams combined for 17 over the 90 minutes.
Derry's Europa League clashes with CSKA also saw plenty of action from the corner flags, with 11 in the first leg and 15 here at the Brandywell as the hosts won that duel nine-six despite losing the game 2-1.
Lynch's side will have to try and go on the front foot now with some direct play and another corner count in double figures is likely against a Rijeka side which carries plenty of threat.
Derry City v Rijeka Bet Builder Tip
Both teams to score
Rijeka to win either half
Rijeka most corners
Pays 15/4
Derry have managed just two clean sheets in 10 domestic and European games since May. They have conceded six times in their European games, but they did at least register goals in both legs against CSKA despite losing both contests.
Across those 10 games since May, Lynch's side have scored 18 goals and they can bring a threat to this Rijeka side.
They showed that in the first leg via chances for Duffy in particular and also when the trio of James Clarke, Adam O'Reilly and Cameron Dummigan entered the fray in the second half.
Rijeka had 19 shots at goal in the first leg and, with that game under their belts, will be sharper now and both teams to score looks a solid chance.
The Croatian side have more quality and were league phase participants in this competition last season, where they lost just one of six games. They can win at least one half in Derry.
They had 71 per cent possession in the first leg, winning nine more corners than Derry managed, and the visiting side can edge the corner count again here.
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Key Match Stats
Derry City scored in both legs of their Europa League qualifier against CSKA Sofia but lost both games
The Candystripes have managed just two clean sheets in 10 games since late May
Rijeka were playing their first competitive game since May as they won the first leg 1-0
The Croatian side won the corner count 13-4 in the first leg
There were 26 corners across the two legs of Derry's tie against CSKA Sofia
Rijeka finished fourth in their domestic league last season and reached the league phase of this competition
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
