Another interesting clash from the UCL Second Qualifying Round is that between the champions of Croatia, Rijeka and the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets. It is expected that this will be a very close tie that can go either way. The smallest of margins might be what ultimately makes the difference.
HNK Rijeka Team News
For the Croatian champions Rijeka, this will be the first official fixture of the season. Before that, the team had played several preparatory games, with the results in the last of them being rather worrying. The team managed to secure wins over Primorje, Oleksandriya and Bravo, while suffering defeats against Goztepe and Cukaricki. What stands out from Rijeka’s pre-season fixtures is that the team has failed to keep a single clean sheet, while managing to score in 3 of their pre-season friendlies. The losses against Goztepe and Cukaricki might be considered worrying as Ludogorets is generally considered to be of the same, if not a higher level.
Ludogorets Team News
Speaking of the Bulgarian champions, Ludogorets, they did have a very shaky start in their UCL campaign as the team experienced difficulties against Dinamo Minsk. The first leg in Bulgaria was won only narrowly with a late goal, while the return game went to extra time. Despite Ludogorets progressing to the next stage, it is obvious that the team has a lot to work on, primarily in defence, but also in attack and being less wasteful. Probably the slight advantage that Ludogorets might have is that for them, this will be the fourth official match of the season, which means that the team is expected to start picking up the pace.
Head-to-Head-Games
Rijeka and Ludogorets have met one another just once in 2015, and that was during a pre-season friendly. The upcoming UCL tie between them will be the first official fixture these two will play against one another.
HNK Rijeka vs Ludogorets Betting Prediction
My pick here is for both teams to score. Ludogorets have been very shaky in defence and rather wasteful in offence. While they do manage to score goals, they also tend to concede very often. Rijeka have also shown a propensity to concede regularly as they haven’t kept a single clean sheet during their preparatory matches. I believe that both teams appear to be very similar, in the sense that they often find a way to score, but fail to keep a clean sheet all too often.
👉Betting Tip: Both Teams To Score: Yes
🌐Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
📊Odds: 1.90
Sportsbet.io
Place your bet on HNK Rijeka – Panathinaikos at Sportsbet.io