The first leg of this clash ended in a 0-0 stalemate, leaving the door open for many possibilities. While both sides might have won it, the result now slightly favours the Bulgarian champions, as they will host the return leg and have generally displayed a better home form in their recent European matches.
Ludogorets Team News
Ludogorets enters the return leg with Rijeka as a slight favourite due to them being the host for the second game. In recent campaigns, the team has shown that at home is where they manage to display their best form and football. And while that may be true, Ludogorets is rocked by the speculation that their star player, Jakub Piotrowski, will be headed to Udinese after the Rijeka tie. Still, expectations are that he will take part in this game here, and Ludogorets also rotated their squad during the weekend game from the Bulgarian championship, meaning that all main players are sure to be rested and available.
HNK Rijeka Team News
While Ludogorets have begun their domestic season as well, Rijeka don’t yet have such engagements, as the Croatian championship starts on August 1st. The first leg match showed that, while lacking official games under their belt, Rijeka is still a very capable team that minimised the slight advantage in terms of form that Ludogorets might have had. However, the team ought to be wary of the upcoming away tie against an equally tough opponent. Rijeka’s last European victory on the road came against B36 Torshavn in the 23/24 qualifying rounds of the Conference League. Since then, the team has recorded 1 draw and 3 away losses.
Head-to-Head-Games
The only H2H game between Ludogorets and Rijeka was the 1st leg tie played last week that ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Ludogorets vs HNK Rijeka Betting Prediction
My pick here is for Ludogorets to win. They have displayed their best football as hosts and also have plenty of experience. A very slight advantage might be that they are ahead in terms of preparation. While Rijeka is a very capable and tough team in their own right, their European travels in the last few seasons have been disappointing to say the least. Based on what these two teams showed us in the first leg, I am expecting a narrow win for Ludogorets here.
👉Betting Tip: Ludogorets To Win
🌐Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
📊Odds: 1.84
Sportsbet.io
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