Europa League, Qualification, Play-Offs, First leg, Thursday, 22.08.2024 at 21:00
David against Goliath in the first leg of the play-offs. Will it be clear before kick-off who will end up in the Europa League? As I look ahead to Budapest with you, I’ll get to the bottom of this question.
My Ferencvaros Banja Luka betting tip contains all the facts and statistics that prove why there is a clear favorite here. But: At the same time, I’ll also tell you why the BTS bet still makes sense!
Nothing came of the premier class, but perhaps reaching the group stage in the Europa League can hide the fact! Ferencvaros Budapest have certainly made a name for themselves in Europe in recent years.
The Hungarians narrowly lost out to FC Midtjylland in the battle for the Champions League, first losing 2-0 and then only drawing 1-1. Disappointing, as they had previously won twice against The New Saints.
As in many other leagues, the Hungarian FA is giving its international representative full concentration ahead of the important play-offs, so there is no league game between the two duels.
Ferencvaros have won all three of their previous matches in the national competition and have not conceded a single goal. Full concentration is now on Banja Luka. A club that Budapest has never met before
So the rivals are from Bosnia, does that mean anything to you? Ferencvaros have met a team from this country six times, and with two wins and four defeats, their record is not exactly positive.
Of course, it’s also helpful to take a look at the home games this season. 5:0 against The New Saints, 1:1 against Midtjylland, 1:0 against Kecskemét and Ujpest, that’s something to be proud of!
I’m still betting on “both teams score”, so there must be something in favor of the visitors scoring. One goal alone is already odds of 2.20 after a successful Oddset registration!
A year ago, Ferencvaros easily survived the play-offs against Zalgiris, so that doesn’t justify my betting recommendation. I therefore have to look at the other side. Banja Luka is at home in Bosnia and has definitely not yet caused a sensation in Europe
That’s even an understatement, because: It’s the first time in the club’s history that they’ve ever made it to the final round of a qualifier! The team really deserved it after a hard fight.
Actually, they would have liked to reach for the stars and reach the Champions League, just like Ferencvaros. Egnatio were still beaten (on aggregate after a penalty shoot-out), but PAOK Thessaloniki weren’t.
Banja nevertheless performed better than expected, the two defeats (2:3 and 0:1) were very close. And since Banja Luka obviously appreciates close results, the last round of the Conference League qualifiers continued in the same vein.
They had lost 2-1 to Klaksvik in the first leg before the Bosnians looked to strike back at home. They went into extra time with a 2:1 lead, with Bart Meijers scoring after just a few seconds to decide the game
What about the relevance of the first leg, can we say that losing the first leg already means the end? Banja have been taking part in the qualifiers since the Conference League came into being.
In the 21/22 season, 0:4 and 0:0 against Linfield in round 2, a year later a 2:0 and 4:7 n.E. against Torshavn in round 1. Last year they struggled 0:1 and 1:2 against Austria Vienna, again in the 2nd round – there have been very different results.
Incidentally, the team has not yet been able to get into a rhythm in the league, with only a 2-0 win over Sloboda Tuzla in the statistics due to two postponements
Anyone who has followed the various European competitions closely in recent years will of course have followed Ferencvaros’ progress. The club from Budapest is increasingly able to upset bigger teams.
Now it wants to make it into the Europa League, Banja Luka is considered a blatant underdog by all our bookmakers with odds of 10.5 to 1.20. But: The visitors will fight to the death, which was also clear against PAOK Saloniki.
Contrary to the opinion of the bookmakers, I can imagine that Banja will have a small chance of at least making the game more open than expected. And that’s why I’ve opted for the following bet, which sounds a little riskier this time:
Both teams score!
