Champions League Quali, 2nd round, first leg, Tuesday, 23.07.2024 at 19:00
No sooner have the winners of the Copa America and the European Championship been found than the 2024/25 international season gets underway again! We are now looking for the teams that will soon be able to take part in the UEFA Champions League.
The 2nd round of qualifying is scheduled for Tuesday. Cyprus will host us in the first leg. In my APOEL Nicosia Petrucub betting tip, I’ll tell you why I favor the home side and also believe that three goals will be the end of the line!
The 2024 European Championship was still in the decisive phase when some clubs got going again! The first rounds of the Champions League qualifiers start in July, which has been the same for years.
Admittedly, we won’t be welcoming the really big names this early. APOEL Nicosia may be familiar to almost every soccer fan, but I can’t exactly report any major European successes
There was one outlier, but it ended with a number of goals conceded. Fans will of course remember that their team sensationally reached the quarter-finals of the top flight in 2012, losing 3-0 and 5-2 to Real Madrid.
The last time APOEL made it to the group stage was in 2017/18, and this year they are aiming to do so again. The Cyprus league has not yet started the new season, so the team lacks rhythm
So how exactly is Nicosia in form? To be able to answer this question at least halfway, we need to look back at the previous season, which ended with the league title.
Nicosia got a new coach in David Gallego, and the free transfer signing of striker Youssef El Arabi, who is already 37 years old, caused quite a stir during the summer break.
And another name catches my eye: That of Max Meyer! The former Schalke player has once again found a new club, wants to make a fresh start at Nicosia and, of course, play internationally.
Tuesday will be the first time ever that they’ve played against a club from Moldova, so historically speaking there are no dates to note – a real first!
How do our bookmakers assess the situation? In all sports betting apps, it is the team from Cyprus that is ahead, and relatively clearly so. The odds? They average 1.55 to 6.00.
Incidentally, you can also bet right now on which of the two teams will qualify for the next round of qualifying, where Nicosia is in front with 1.35 to 2.95.
Petrocub Hincesti belongs to the Republic of Moldova and has a population of less than 15,000. The soccer club is the pride of the city and had to start in the first round of the qualifiers
What is the situation with Petrocub, has the club ever made a positive impression in Europe? In any case, it is celebrating its premiere in Champions League qualifying, as it has never before attempted to qualify for the top flight.
The biggest success came in the 2022/23 season, when they reached the 3rd round of the Conference League qualifiers. Experienced players (international) or stars? I don’t notice them in the squad
The reigning cup winners of Moldova beat Ordabasy in the 1st qualifying round. 0:0 and 1:0, in both games they were defensive and minimalist.
They therefore have a slight advantage against APOEL Nicosia, having already played them twice this season. However, as the league has not yet started, this is likely to be quite marginal
Petrocub Hincesti is a completely new name, a debutant. The club from Moldova is attempting to qualify for the top flight for the first time ever, having survived the first round with minimalist performances.
APOEL Nicosia, of course, have already gained considerably more experience, but as the new season has not yet begun, it is not entirely clear whether a certain rhythm has already been established.
As the individual quality of the home side is much higher, but the visitors can defend quite well, I’ve decided to make the following prediction:
APOEL will not lose by less than 3.5 goals!
