Conference League Quali, 1st round, first leg, Thursday, 18.07.2024 at 18:00
It’s no secret that climbing the Himalayas without an oxygen tank is an immense challenge.
It won’t be quite that extreme for the visitors on Thursday, but the Pyrenees are home to the European clubs with the highest venues above sea level.
Since the Bosnians were already unable to make their mark on this fixture a week ago, I’m not expecting them to have an easier time this time in my Inter Escaldes Velez Mostar tip seven days later …
While Barca legend Gerard Piqué continues to try to catapult FC Andorra into La Liga by investing considerable capital, there is another Pyrenean club that is trying to make a sporting statement with much smaller sums of money.
Inter Escaldes is the flagship club of the local amateur league and, incidentally, has put itself in a promising position to reach the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
The fact that the small club has never made it to the third qualifying round of an international club competition shows just how important such an advance is for them.
But as I said, the worst seems to be over after the 1:1 first-leg draw in Bosnia
Just under a week ago, the Andorrans were unable to hold on to their 1-0 half-time lead. However, they can still be satisfied with the final score, as they were closer to victory judging by the course of the game.
The Iberians’ goalscorer, Lopez Elo, was the difference maker, as the Equatorial Guinean with a past in the Spanish Primera RFEF was by far the best player on both sides.
Incidentally, there are various indications that make me optimistic that now is the right time to inaugurate the Neobet new customer bonus with an Inter Escaldes Mostar tip, according to which the Andorrans will progress
Of course, one must not make the mistake of overestimating a soccer featherweight like Inter Escaldes, but against a club of comparable strength, home advantage alone can make all the difference.
The Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella is situated at an altitude of around 1,030 meters above sea level, which not every semi-professional club in Europe seems to be able to cope with.
Of course, that wouldn’t stop a club like FC Bayern Munich from winning here, but teams of the caliber of Vikingur (1-2) and Hibernian (1-2) already gritted their teeth here unsuccessfully in the last European Cup season.
Velez, for his part, does little or nothing to convince me – that applies both to their 2024/25 transfer campaign and their poor European Cup record.
With the 1:1 draw against Inter a week ago, the Bosnians have now played five European Cup matches in a row without a win (2 draws, 3 defeats).
Last year’s performance against Hamrun Spartans was particularly embarrassing. The Maltese side – who I wouldn’t necessarily classify as stronger than Inter Escaldes – managed to beat Mostar 1-0 twice in the first and second legs
The extent to which the bookmakers underestimated the Andorrans last week can be seen from the fact that the odds for an Inter Escaldes win against Velez Mostar were around 6.75.
This week, however, there seems to have been a rethink. Almost every sports betting app we have hand-picked now offers odds of around 3.30 for a win for the home team.
Nevertheless, Mostar are still seen as potential winners – despite their lack of match practice.
Note: Before Velez Mostar took on Inter Iscaldes last week, 48 days had passed in which the Bosnians had not even played a test match …
Thursday will be only the second head-to-head clash between the two clubs, with Velez Mostar boasting a much more eventful European Cup history.
However, the Bosnians’ glory days are in the past, when they were still one of the flagship clubs of the old Yugoslavia and occasionally advanced to the decisive stages together with Red Star Belgrade.
The highlight was undoubtedly their quarter-final appearance in the 1974/75 UEFA Cup season.
However, the Bosnians also disappeared from the scene for a very long time in between, as they were completely absent from international club competitions between 1989 and 2021.
Conclusion: Inter d’Escaldes are undoubtedly benefiting from the spirit of optimism in soccer in the Pyrenees, which has been sparked in particular by Gerard Piqué and FC Andorra.
The other local clubs in the region have also benefited from the increased interest and investment in the region.
In my opinion, the fruits of this beneficial soccer policy will already be visible on Thursday. Not only the thin air, but also the strength of the host team will pose a major challenge for Mostar.
My tip: Double chance 1X.
