With the new football season almost here, teams are gearing up for another campaign where they will compete on various fronts and hope to achieve their goals and much more. As the European competitions will also start from September, many teams across Europe are gearing up for the Europa League qualifiers so as to be able to take part in the prestigious UEFA Europa league group stage. In this preview, we’ll cover four matches, St. Josephs vs AEL Limassol, Lech Poznan vs Pelister, Crusaders vs FK Liepaja and Tre Penne vs Rabotnicki, as all these eight teams are going to fight it out to take a step forward in their bid for European football.
ST. JOSEPHS (Gib) vs. AEL LIMASSOL (Cyp)
3-Way: ST. JOSEPHS +1746; X: +550 Draw; AEL LIMASSOL -400
Spread +2: ST. JOSEPHS -128; AEL LIMASSOL +131
Total +3: Over: +106 Under: -132
ST. JOSEPHS
St Josephs finished their league season in April, in 3rd position. They scored 53 goals and conceded 18, the second best defense in the league. A one goal margin is usually the end score in their matches, be it a win or a loss.
Their current form in the domestic events hasn’t been very good. They have been winless in their last three games, with 2 defeats and a draw. And the fact, that this was followed immediately after a thumping 9-0 win, shows how inconsistent this team can be at times. This is going to be St. Joseph’s first participation in the Europa League competition.
AEL LIMASSOL
Limassol had a decent league season, as they finished 4th in the division 1 in Cyprus. They scored 53 goals, while conceding 36 in 36 matches. They finished the season on a positive note, with 2 wins and a draw.
When it comes to European matches, their last three matches were all defeats, as they were demoted from the Champions league to the Europa league. Their last win came against Marseille back in 2014. AEL Limassol has scored in each of their last 8 matches in the league, indicating good form in front of goal.
ST. JOSEPHS vs. AEL LIMASSOL – Match Prediction:
This match doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere else other than an away win for Limassol. They have previous experience, and have even defeated some big teams. Therefore, keeping in mind that it is St. Joseph’s first Europa League appearance, win for the AEL Limassol should not come in question, but I will go with the under 3 goals offered at -132.
MY PICK: Under 3 goals (-132)
LECH POZNAN (Pol) vs. PELISTER (Mac)
3- Way: LECH POZNAN -769; X: +850 Draw; PELISTER +4500
Spread -2.5: Lech Poznan +100; Pelister -105
Total +3: Over -127; Under +108
LECH POZNAN
The Polish team finished 3rd in the Ekstraklasa, 4 points off the top. They managed to score 50 goals, and concede just 22, which meant they had the best defense in the league. They have been in decent form of late, as they have lost just one match in their last five games in all competitions.
When it comes to European competitions, Lech Poznan are somewhat regulars. However, their recent reading (1-2-3) over the last six matches in Europe show they haven’t been at their best when it comes to UEFA events. However, those matches were two years ago, which means we can expect change.
PELISTER
The Macedonian team ended their season in 4th position, almost 30 points adrift of top spot. They scored 44 goals, and conceded 35 goals, giving them the second best defense in the league. However, they haven’t been in good form. In their last six matches domestically, they won 2, lost 2, and drew 1.
When it comes to Europe, this is Pellister’s first appearance in almost a year, with the last one coming in 2008. This stat will give them extra motivation to go out and perform to their level best.
LECH POZNAN vs. PELISTER – Match Prediction:
Even though it has been a more than a year since Lech Poznan appeared in the European events, they still surely have enough ability in them to defeat the Macedonian team Pelister in the first leg of the Europa League matchup. It is difficult for me to see any other result other than a home win. Therefore, I will go with the AH on the hosts.
MY PICK: LECH POZNAN AH -2.5 (+100)
CRUSADERS (Nir) vs FK LIEPAJA (Lat)
3-Way: CRUSADERS +195; X: +268 Draw; FK LIEPAJA +156
Spread 0: CRUSADERS +110; FK LIEPAJA -125
Total +2.5: Over +100; Under -105
CRUSADERS
The season ended in the best way possible for the Crusaders. They won the league with one game left. They were the second best in both goals scored and conceded, with 71 scored and 27 conceded. They have scored in each of their last 14 home games. They have also won their last 4 home matches.
They are in a good run of form. Of their last five matches, they won 4, and lost 1. They last appeared in the Europa League in 2014, with their last appearance being a 1:1 draw. Their last match in the league was a thumping 6:1 win.
FK LIEPAJA
The Latvian team sits at 2nd position in the league table. They have the best away form in the league. They have scored 19 goals in 13 league matches, and conceded 13. Their current form reading over the last 6 matches is 4-1-1.
They took part in last year’s qualifiers of the Champions league, but were defeated by Salzburg in both the legs of the tie, by 0:2 and 0:1. Therefore they will surely be coming with a point to prove.
CRUSADERS (Nir) vs FK LIEPAJA (Lat) – Match Prediction:
This is a match between two teams, who have it in them to cause quite a few problems to each other’s. However, considering the fact that this will be a home match Crusaders, I feel the home advantage will pay off. Therefore, my prediction is a home win for the team from Northern Ireland.
MY PICK: CRUSADERS (+195)
TRE PENNE vs. RABOTNICKI
3-way: 1: TRE PENNE +950; X: +550; 2: RABOTNICKI -333
Spread +1.5: TRE PENNE +110; RABOTNICKI -125
Total +3.5: Over +100; Under -110
TRE PENNE
The San Marino based club went all the way to the final round of the play offs, where they lost 1:0. During the regular season, they scored 43 goals, and conceded 15. They had been in very good form, winning all their last 4 matches, and a draw before that.
They haven’t been good performers in UEFA events. They lost all but one of their last 6 qualifiers for the Champions league. They have scored only 2 goals in these six matches, stretching all the way to 2012, and in turn, conceded a massive 19 goals in the same matches.
RABOTNICKI
The Macedonian club finished their latest league at 3rd position. They managed to score 49 goals while 41, in 36 matches. They made a terrible finish to the season, as they didn’t win a single competitive game in the last 4 matches. Two draws and two massive defeats of 0:3 and 6:2 ended their season on a sour note.
Even on the European stage, they have not had much success. Over the last six games in Europe, their record is 1-3-2, with their last game being a 1:0 defeat. They haven’t scored more than one goal in any of these matches, which shows how weak they have been in killing off games or when fighting back to grab points.
TRE PENNE vs. RABOTNICKI – Match Prediction:
Even though both the teams haven’t really been very successful on the European stage, but current form and performances suggest that the home team should be the one angling towards a win. Rabotnicki may provide problems, but their current form has been very poor to expect much from them. I will go with both teams to score in this Europa League matchup.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-133)
