3rd Qualifying Round Predictions > Aug 7th - 9th

[StevieDay1983]

The 3rd Qualifying Round of the Europa League has its first legs scheduled for this week. This is where things start to crank up a little bit. There are some big ties between famous European clubs here such as Dinamo Minsk versus Zenit St Petersburg, CSKA Sofia versus FC Copenhagen, and Slovan Bratislava versus Rapid Vienna.

Some big names are also in action with teams such as Atalanta, Besiktas, Olympiakos, and Sevilla all playing. On the domestic front, there's Rangers, TNS, Hibernian, and Burnley all involved. Plus, the usual collection of teams that have names so full of consonants that it's almost impossible to pronounce their names without breaking your jaw! I'm saying that as a Welsh person where we have a town named Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!

Anyway, hit us with your predictions! I'll get a couple of previews up over the next day or so! 

[malabgd]

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS

Pyunik FC v Maccabi Tel Aviv

Pyunik FC (last season): Karlen Mkrtchyan (16/1 m, doubtful), Petros Avetisyan (15/6 m, suspended)

Maccabi Tel Aviv: no absences

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more then 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

[mtom]

CSKA - FC Copenhagen

Pick - over 4.5 corners 1st half
Odds: 1.80@bet365
Stake: 2/10

So...one of the most important games for CSKA in nearly a decade will be played tomorrow. After years of absence from Europe CSKA returned this season firstly with an unconvincing victory against Riga (after penalty shootout), following much better display against Austrian Admira Wacker to reach to the point where they meet the tough opposition of FC Copenhagen, a team that has established itself well both domestically and internationally.

The game tomorrow will be played on the National stadium, in stead of CSKA's home stadium, but this shouldn't be a problem because so far the estimated attendance is about 20k or over. The home team will be once again without experienced defender and captain Bodurov and midfielder Malinov, but neither of them played against Admira, so the team won't be affected that much. 
Right now CSKA is on fire - unbeaten in the domestic league (3 victories, 7 goals scored, 0 conceded), the attack is lethal and due to the versatility of the wingers the manager has plenty of options. The only weak link is the goalkeeper, who, even though, conceded just twice so far in 7 official games this season (once against Riga and once against Admira) is prone to mistakes. 

Copenhagen are also flying high at the moment. They had no problems in the previous round and are doing very well in the domestic championship too. Fischer, ex Ajax player, is one of their stars. As are the attacking duo N'doye and Kodro. 

The European experience which Copenhagen posses should help them, but really, as unbiased as I am trying to be, CSKA right now is pure joy to watch. The morale is high, the fans are behind the team and create amazing atmosphere so even though I suppose the Danish side would edge overall and proceed I am just not that certain that they will win tomorrow. However, I am going with the corners pick, because so far CSKA is producing plenty of them. And I am taking a bit riskier bet with limiting myself only on the 1st half corners for two reasons - first, they covered the line against Riga at home and against Admira too. Secondly, I expect the team to try and put some pressure early on and to use the momentum. Fast wingers + a massive striker (seriously this guy Maurides is huge) = plenty of crossings. On the other hand, the Danish outfit uses plenty of crossing too, in search of N'doye. So I think we can see at least 5 corners in the first half.

Good luck 

[Magic0024]

Football Facts and Streaks regarding Europa League

Dinamo Minsk scored in last 10 home games in all competitions.
RB Leipzig has over 2.5 goals in their last 5 home games in all competitions.
Ludogorets has under 2.5 goals in their last 4 games in all competitions.
CFR Cluj has under 2.5 goals in their last 5 away games in all competitions.
Atalanta has over 2.5 goals in their last 5 games in all competitions.
Hapoel Haifa has under 2.5 goals in their last 4 games in all competitions.

You can find interesting 58 Football Betting Streaks for 09.08.2018 on this link ... http://eurofootballrumours.com/football-facts-and-streaks-09-08-2018-10809

[StevieDay1983]

Rangers vs NK Maribor

Steve Gerrard looks to continue his encouraging start as Rangers manager this week when his side welcome Slovenian side NK Maribor to Ibrox for this qualifying round match for the Europa League in a 7:45pm kick-off. Can the Scottish side take a giant step towards the group stages?

Rangers progressed comfortably past Macedonian outfit Shkupi with a 2-0 aggregate win before beating Croat side Osijek by a 2-1 aggregate score. It's not been too troublesome but this could be a sterner test for Gerrard's side against a team that reached the Champions League group stages last season and held Spartak Moscow to draws both home and away.

NK Maribor haven't conceded a goal in Europe so far this season. OK, so they've only played Partizani from Albania and Georgian side Chikhura Sachkere but it's still a sign of their defensive solidarity. It's now 13 clean sheets from their last 17 matches in all competitions. It's going to take a fine attacking display by Rangers to get past this resilient defence.

This tie could prove to be a tight one. It will give us a big indication of how settled Gerrard is in the Ibrox hot seat. Interestingly, these two sides last met in European competition as recently as 2011. On that occasion, it was NK Maribor who knocked Rangers out 3-2 on aggregate.

This first leg is an ideal start but Rangers will be keen to take a lead into the away leg because the Stadion Ljudski vrt can be a difficult place to go if the home crowd are up for it. Can Rangers get that win? I'm not confident enough to call it. I can see this game being tightly contested with little going either way. So backing minimal goals and a lack of action is probably the way to go.

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.57 with Bet365

Total Corners Under 9.5 @ 2.10 with 888Sport

@delfino, @KikoCy, @giraldi, @Icongene, @dogmeister, @rangers234, @Pipoca, @Notorious, @ElPrincipito007, @KingSoccertips, @vasilli07, @betcatalog, @immortal--, @DW_United, @discipline, @WinningAdvice, @arvee, @silverfox, @FrenchEskimo, @liamcorrigan86, @ElPrincipito007, @Neubs, @TOTTI3, @Simeon Borisof, @Charon84, @Magic0024, @Xcout, @arsenalfh, @BJO, @footballeye, @gamblerxxx, @Xcout, @allyhibs, @cluelessG, @jazzman02 , @DrO, and @CloughandTaylor, what do you guys reckon about these games?

[StevieDay1983]

TNS vs FC Midtjylland

I didn't think I would be able to say this any time soon but Europa League football is coming to the Cardiff City Stadium! Unfortunately, it's not my beloved Cardiff City in action but Welsh Premier League champions TNS who host Danish Superliga title holders FC Midtjylland in a 7:45pm kick-off.

The change of venue in this tie is due to the usual home ground of TNS at Saints' Park Hall in Oswestry not meeting UEFA regulations. This is certain to have a negative impact on the host team's game plan with the larger pitch certain to favour the visiting side.

TNS have not exactly impressed in Europe so far this season. They crashed out of the Champions League with a 5-4 aggregate defeat to Macedonian champions FK Shkendija. Admittedly, the second leg of that tie was a 4-0 win at home but the damage had already been done. Scott Ruscoe's side then laboured to a 3-2 aggregate win over Gibraltar title winners Lincoln Red Imps in the last round of Europa League qualification.

FC Midtjylland will be disappointed to have exited the Champions League already. Jess Thorup's team suffered a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Kazakhstani champions FC Astana to crash out of the competition. However, this will be slightly remedied by a run in the Europa League.

The winners of this tie will play the loser of the Champions League qualifier between Swedish side Malmo and Hungarian club MOL Vidi. So both sides will feel that a win here could put them within touching distance of the Europa League group stages. Sadly, I think it will take two miracles to see that team being TNS.

I can see FC Midtjylland running riot in both legs here. A comfortable 2-0 or 3-0 win in this first leg will be repeated in the away leg. Although a solid advantage heading into the second leg at the MCH Arena might see a more low-key second leg. I've been on the Cardiff City Stadium pitch before and it's wide for players used to playing on Welsh League pitches. TNS will struggle to adapt and if the Danish side keep the play wide it will be a long night for the Saints.

FC Midtjylland -1 @ 2.00 with Paddy Power

FC Midtjylland HT/FT @ 2.00 with Betfair

[allyhibs]

Hibernian v Molde.

It's Easter Road for goals!

You have to go back to 30/3/18 for the last competitive Hibs home game to have less than 3 goals scored, in the 7 games since then there has been a staggering 40 goals scored, we seem to play with the attitude of 'score if you want, we'll score more'.

Molde are no slouches in front of goal either and this has the makings of yet another entertaining goal fest at Easter Road.

Over 2.5 goals @ 2.08 looks way overpriced.

[chris50]

9 hours ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Rangers vs NK Maribor

Steve Gerrard looks to continue his encouraging start as Rangers manager this week when his side welcome Slovenian side NK Maribor to Ibrox for this qualifying round match for the Europa League in a 7:45pm kick-off. Can the Scottish side take a giant step towards the group stages?

Rangers progressed comfortably past Macedonian outfit Shkupi with a 2-0 aggregate win before beating Croat side Osijek by a 2-1 aggregate score. It's not been too troublesome but this could be a sterner test for Gerrard's side against a team that reached the Champions League group stages last season and held Spartak Moscow to draws both home and away.

NK Maribor haven't conceded a goal in Europe so far this season. OK, so they've only played Partizani from Albania and Georgian side Chikhura Sachkere but it's still a sign of their defensive solidarity. It's now 13 clean sheets from their last 17 matches in all competitions. It's going to take a fine attacking display by Rangers to get past this resilient defence.

This tie could prove to be a tight one. It will give us a big indication of how settled Gerrard is in the Ibrox hot seat. Interestingly, these two sides last met in European competition as recently as 2011. On that occasion, it was NK Maribor who knocked Rangers out 3-2 on aggregate.

This first leg is an ideal start but Rangers will be keen to take a lead into the away leg because the Stadion Ljudski vrt can be a difficult place to go if the home crowd are up for it. Can Rangers get that win? I'm not confident enough to call it. I can see this game being tightly contested with little going either way. So backing minimal goals and a lack of action is probably the way to go.

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.57 with Bet365

Total Corners Under 9.5 @ 2.10 with 888Sport

@delfino, @KikoCy, @giraldi, @Icongene, @dogmeister, @rangers234, @Pipoca, @Notorious, @ElPrincipito007, @KingSoccertips, @vasilli07, @betcatalog, @immortal--, @DW_United, @discipline, @WinningAdvice, @arvee, @silverfox, @FrenchEskimo, @liamcorrigan86, @ElPrincipito007, @Neubs, @TOTTI3, @Simeon Borisof, @Charon84, @Magic0024, @Xcout, @arsenalfh, @BJO, @footballeye, @gamblerxxx, @Xcout, @allyhibs, @cluelessG, @jazzman02 , @DrO, and @CloughandTaylor, what do you guys reckon about these games?

 

[chris50]

The Rangers are in a very good dynamic, the last defeat of the Scots dates from April 29th. The rangers are very strong at home and against a team of Maribor, who knows difficulties in his travels, the Scots must logically win.

Prediction: Rangers Victory @ 2.06

[allyhibs]

@StevieDay1983

I like the look of the FC Midtjylland bet 

I think Maribor could be too good for Rangers to get past, Rangers are a very good side going forward, their problem for the last few seasons has been they're a bit soft centred, I'm not convinced Gerrard has fixed that. A streetwise side like Maribor could take advantage.

I think you're right with it being a low scoring, tight affair, I just think it will be the Slovenians who win over 2 legs.

My bet would be Maribor to qualify @ 2.10.

[StevieDay1983]

1 hour ago, allyhibs said:

@StevieDay1983

I like the look of the FC Midtjylland bet 

I think Maribor could be too good for Rangers to get past, Rangers are a very good side going forward, their problem for the last few seasons has been they're a bit soft centred, I'm not convinced Gerrard has fixed that. A streetwise side like Maribor could take advantage.

I think you're right with it being a low scoring, tight affair, I just think it will be the Slovenians who win over 2 legs.

My bet would be Maribor to qualify @ 2.10.

Yeah, I think you're right. It's too early in Gerrard's reign to deal with an experienced side like Maribor. I think the initial signs of Gerrard are encouraging but success in Europe is a completely different beast. Not many managers do it first time around, especially with teams that have such key weaknesses.

[chris50]

Rangers will surprise us and beat Maribor without problems ...

[mtom]

I think a value bet could be FC Nordsjaelland - Partizan - home win.

Partizan are going through a difficult time right now and barely managed to proceed against Lithuanian side Trakai. In the championship they started quite bad too with only one win in 3 games. They sacked the manager, but I wonder how long it will take the new one to get things going.

The Danish Nordsjaelland were impressive last season (as far as I followed them), scoring plenty of goals. From the results this season it seems this has changed and they also started somewhat slowly in the league. In the previous round they managed to win against Swedish side AIK.

Overall, I just can't see Partizan winning. So a home win at 2.30@bet365 with a 2/10 stake or a DNB option @1.66 with 3/10 stake seems a good option.

 

[cluelessG]

5 hours ago, allyhibs said:

Hibernian v Molde.

It's Easter Road for goals!

You have to go back to 30/3/18 for the last competitive Hibs home game to have less than 3 goals scored, in the 7 games since then there has been a staggering 40 goals scored, we seem to play with the attitude of 'score if you want, we'll score more'.

Molde are no slouches in front of goal either and this has the makings of yet another entertaining goal fest at Easter Road.

Over 2.5 goals @ 2.08 looks way overpriced.

I had this bet on my shortlist before they announced the transfer of John McGinn. How much will it affect Hibernian?

[cluelessG]

I've placed a small bet on

Spartak Subotica - Brondby - both teams to score @2.1 with bet365

Spartak were very lucky to eliminate Sparta Praha in the previous round. I believe that Sparta underestimated them in the first leg and lost 2:0. In the return leg Sparta dominated at home, took a 2:0 lead and were on their way to score another. But a stupid penalty (a needless push by a Sparta defender) in the 75th minute turned the match around.

So I believe Brondby will not underestimate Spartak now.

Odds for the away win are pretty low and I assume people expect Brondby to score. So the surprisingly high odds on BTTS are caused by doubts in Spartak's ability to score. So far Spartak have been able to score in every Europa League match this season, even though they found it hard to score at home against Coleraine. They created many chances against Sparta (who were not 100% focused) so I hope they will create a few against Brondby. Brondby's defence has not been water-tight this season. Spartak lost their last match in the local league 0:4 at home but they used their reserve players (and the regular goalie) so they are focused on the European matches!

A few things that may work against my bet:

The match will be played at a "new" neutral stadium - in Belgrade. Spartak's stadium is being renovated, so they are playing in a nearby town in the local championship and in the previous two rounds of Europa League they played in Novi Sad.

They sold a key midfielder - Mile Savkovic - to Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Milan Marcic got a red card in Prague so I assume he will miss today's match - but I hope that will mostly affect Spartak's defence and not their offence.

 

Edited August 9, 2018 by cluelessG

[allyhibs]

3 hours ago, cluelessG said:

I had this bet on my shortlist before they announced the transfer of John McGinn. How much will it affect Hibernian?

It's a big blow losing Mcginn, no doubt about it, he's top quality but it won't change the way we play, it's all about attack with this team, it's great to watch.

[canaries91]

12 hours ago, allyhibs said:

Hibernian v Molde.

It's Easter Road for goals!

You have to go back to 30/3/18 for the last competitive Hibs home game to have less than 3 goals scored, in the 7 games since then there has been a staggering 40 goals scored, we seem to play with the attitude of 'score if you want, we'll score more'.

Molde are no slouches in front of goal either and this has the makings of yet another entertaining goal fest at Easter Road.

Over 2.5 goals @ 2.08 looks way overpriced.

Cue the 0-0!

[slipkid]

1 hour ago, canaries91 said:

Cue the 0-0!

Shoulda tipped it!

[allyhibs]

10 hours ago, canaries91 said:

Cue the 0-0!

Hope you backed it