SECOND LEG TIPS


Spartak Trnava vs. Legia Warsaw

Going into last week’s first-leg, Legia were overwhelming favourites, so much so that they could be backed at no bigger than 2/5 pre-match, though they were unable to make much headway, as they lost 2-0 on home soil. The Polish side will now be looking to bounce back when they visit Štadión Antona Malatinského on Tuesday evening.

Given the respective performances of this pair in the first-leg, it’s difficult to see why Legia remain favourites in the Win/Draw/Win market. They’re nowhere near as short as last week, though it’s hard to justify a price of 11/10 given that they were outplayed in all areas on their own patch.

With the aggregate score-line in their favour, Trnava are fancied to keep a toothless Legia side at bay before once again exploiting their openness at the back. At the prices, both ‘Trnava Draw No Bet’ and ‘Trnava to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ stand out.

Head To Head

The first-leg of this tie, which saw Trnava win by two goals to nil, was the second time that the teams have met. Back in 2012, Legia won 3-1 in a friendly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hapoel Beer Sheva vs. Dinamo Zagreb

Having got the job done in convincing fashion on their own patch, winning by no less than five goals to nil, Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb will travel to Israel knowing that they’re through to the next round, providing that they don’t do anything foolish.

While the hosts have done well at home in previous qualification matches, Dinamo aren’t exactly a team who’ve thrived on their travels. Since 2015, Dinamo have played 12 matches on the road in the UCL, only five of which they’ve won. They’ve lost six of the other eight, while they’ve conceded in all but three of those 12, shipping a total of 25 goals. During that time, they have of course faced some useful opposition, though they’ve also conceded against the likes of Molde, Skenderbeu, Vardar and Salzburg, so there’s hope for Hapoel.

As a starting point, ‘Hapoel to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ stands out at the prices. It’s fair to say that the hosts, who’ve scored less than two in just one of their previous seven UCL qualifiers on home soil, will be a different proposition on their own patch, and they ought to have what it takes to score a couple of goals against a Zagreb team who’ve conceded at least twice in six of their last ten away UCL games. However, with the hosts forced to go for it right from the off, this is likely to become a very open game right from the word go. Keeping this in mind, ‘Over 2.5 Goals’, which has yielded a profit in all but two of Dinamo’s last ten away UCL fixtures, also appears to represent a small slice of value.

Head To Head

The first-leg, which took place last week, was the first time that Hapoel and Dinamo had met on the pitch. On that occasion, Zagreb won by a convincing five-goal margin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheriff Tiraspol vs. Skendija Tetovo

The Moldovan side would’ve hoped for a better result in the first-leg, though they didn’t get beaten badly, as they lost by just a goal to nil, so they ought to remain confident of going through when they welcome Sjkendija to Sheriff Stadium on Tuesday evening.

When the teams met last week, the Macedonians offered plenty going forward, as they often made light work of finding space in behind Sheriff’s back-line. They may not have impressed offensively away during the last round, but having learnt from that game, and with the counter likely to be a viable option in this match, the visitors may just be up to getting competitive in the final third.

In truth, Sheriff should’ve scored last week, they had a couple of good opportunities, so finding the net on their own patch should be well within the grasp of the hosts. However, as mentioned above, they didn’t cover themselves in defensive glory, so it’s not at all hard to envisage them conceding too. All things considered, ‘Both Teams to Score’ stands out at the prices.

Head To Head

The first-leg, which took place last week, was the first time that this pair had met. On that occasion, it was the Macedonian side (Shkendija) who came out on top, winning by a goal to nil.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HJK Helsinki vs. Bate Borisov

This Champions League tie is balanced on a knife edge after the first leg meeting in Belarus. The pair drew 0-0 in their first encounter, and now they are aiming for a decisive blow when they clash on Wednesday night. With a spot in the third qualifying round up for grabs, there are huge stakes for these two champions. They are both looking to pair domestic success with a strong run in Europe’s top tournament, but which of them will progress this week?

BATE certainly have the edge in terms of recent experience, as they’ve become a staple in European football following their domestic domination. They have taken the next step by impressing on the continent, and that is something they’ll want to continue this week. The visitors are all but guaranteed the title, with a healthy seven point lead built up at the top, but they’ll want to build on that by continuing their run in Europe this summer.

HJK host a BATE side who have been awful in Europe on their travels. While they’ve managed to make an impact in recent years, that has come from strong home form. With one away victory in 19 Champions League matches on the road, the visitors can hardly be confident coming in to this trip. Those defeats weren’t all against the biggest and best that Europe has to offer, with BATE losing at Slavia Prague and Dundalk in the last two summers. Will this be yet another set back on the road for the Belarusian champions?

The hosts can boast a more solid European record. Following their draw with BATE, they’ve now lost two of 11 Champions League games. At home they’re unbeaten in six in this competition, losing on just three occasions in the last 15 years. They should do enough to hold off BATE, and after terrific run at home in the league we can see the hosts claiming a victory. We’re going for HJK to win on the Draw No Bet market, as we can’t see why these two would be priced side by side in the match betting. When you compare the form, the hosts look like excellent value.

Head To Head

These two sides met for the first time last week, drawing 0-0 in Belarus.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midtjylland vs. Astana

Astana have a narrow lead ahead of their Champions League qualifier with Midtjylland on Wednesday night. The pair met in Kazakhstan last week, and that clash saw Astana come away with a 2-1 victory. They clash in Denmark this week, as hosts Midtjylland chase a comeback which would book a spot in the third round of the qualifiers. They are still some way from September’s group stage, and by Wednesday night one of these two will have lost their chance of making it that far.

The hosts may be trailing, but they will be confident that they can turn things around after picking up an away goal last week. They’ll be looking to build on that in the home leg, but could their slow start to the new campaign affect them in this clash? The Danish champions picked up their first win of the campaign at the third attempt at the weekend, but even in that clash they looked a little shaky. They beat Esbjerg 3-1 at home; a result good enough to take them through in the Champions League, but conceding at home must worry them.

Astana have emerged as a European force in recent years, after becoming the first Kazakh team to make the group stage. However, their away form in this competition is less than stellar, so they aren’t likely to keep a clean sheet in this visit. They’ve rarely been able to keep out sides on the road in this competition, and when they do it’s usually against much poorer sides than Midtjylland. After all, the Danish champions were the great entertainers throughout their Europa League qualifiers, and we expect the hosts to have enough goals in their side to cause problems for Astana.

Following their 2-1 loss last week, Midtjylland still haven’t failed to score in a Champions League game. However, conceding four in their last three shows that they’re not entirely solid in this competition. With the Kazakh champions scoring in their last four matches in this competition, we see them getting some joy in Denmark. After all, it would be huge for the away side to get an away goal too, and they’ll get confident in their chances after their home win.

With Midtjylland making a slow start defensively, while Astana are midway through their domestic campaign, we see both teams scoring on Wednesday. With think BTTS is a value bet given the form and history of the pair, while we’re backing the visitors to get away with a 1-1 draw and make it through to the next round.

Head To Head

These two sides met for the first time last week, with Astana winning 2-1.