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Malisheva will take on Hibernian on Thursday, 23 July, in the first leg of their second-round Europa Conference League qualifying match.
The match will mark Hibernian's first competitive match of the new season, and given the stakes, they will have to hit the ground running.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Malisheva vs Hibernian key stats
- Hibernian have won each of their last two matches in the build-up to this one.
- Malisheva have lost two of their last four matches in all competitions.
- Both teams have scored in five of Malisheva's last six matches.
Malisheva vs Hibernian preview: Visitors to take control
Malisheva vs Hibernian — Tale of the Tape
| Malisheva | vs | Hibernian |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd(2025-26 Football Superleague of Kosovo) | Position | 5th (2025-26 Scottish Premiership) |
| 59 | Points | 57 |
| 58 | Goals For | 58 |
| 50 | Goals Against | 44 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 11 |
| 5th | Home / Away Rank | 4th |
It is quite rare that Hibernian start a European away match as the favourites to win, but this is the case on Thursday night.
What helps Hibs' cause is the fact that Malisheva are being forced to play the match away from their usual home stadium due to UEFA regulations. The match is being played at the Kosovan national stadium, the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, which is nearly 50km away from Malisheva.
Hibs are also coming into the match on the back of a solid pre-season. They have already played three matches, winning two, including an impressive victory over Brondby last time out.
David Gray will be desperate to become the first man to take Hibs to the full version of a European competition in more than 20 years, with their last adventure being in the UEFA Cup back in 2005.
For the first leg, Gray will be without Rocky Bushiri, who is unlikely to feature in either leg due to an Achilles injury.
As for Malisheva, this is just their third attempt at qualifying for a European competition, having played in Europa Conference League qualifying in each of the last three seasons.
This is the first time they have ever made it to the second round of qualifying, illustrating just how difficult they have found competing against other sides from across the continent, even at Conference League level.
What they do have over Hibs is better match rhythm, due to their participation in the first round of qualifying. That could become significant as the game nears its conclusion, so the aim will be to stay in the match until the very end.
With no fresh injuries, Malisheva are expected to start with the same team that defeated KF Vllaznia 5-0 in the second leg of the first qualifying round.
Malisheva vs Hibernian form guide & betting tips
| Malisheva | vs | Hibernian |
|---|---|---|
W
L
W
L
W
|
Form |
W
L
L
W
W
|
| 15 | Goals For | 9 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 5 |
LW |
Europa Conference League | N/A |
Whispers predicts: Malisheva 1-2 Hibernian
Hibernian have far greater experience at European level, as proven by the fact Malisheva have never made it past the second round of any set of qualifiers. Hibernian to win has been priced at 1/2.
Goals have gone in at both ends in six of Hibernian's last eight matches. Both teams to score has been priced at 7/8.
Nathan Lowe has scored two goals in pre-season for Hibs. Lowe is priced at 9/4 to score anytime on Thursday.
> Hibernian to win at 1/2 (1.50) | Likelihood: Probable
> BTTS at 7/8 (1.88) | Likelihood: Probable
> Nathan Lowe to score anytime at 9/4 (3.25) | Likelihood: Possible