Europa League qualifier, play-offs, second leg, Thursday, 29.08.2024 at 20:30
The Twitter hashtag FCSBLASK remains a pretty cool headline to announce the Europa League play-off second leg on social media a week later.
And just like a week ago, I’ll once again try to give you a successful FCSB LASK tip. However, this time I’m shifting my focus away from a both teams meeting bet.
It’s possible that neither Steaua Bucharest nor LASK had their heads in the game last weekend.
After all, the 1-1 draw from the first leg still hangs like the sword of Damocles over the European Cup season of both clubs, who have high hopes of winning the lavish prize money of the Europa League.
Accordingly, FCSB surprisingly lost 2-0 at Sibiu – a match that the team should hardly have lost under normal circumstances. But the Linzers hardly fared any better either
As guests at Austria Vienna, Linzer ASK were not favored by the bookmakers, but the fans had secretly hoped for more than a disappointing 2-1 defeat.
On Thursday, the full attention of both fan communities will now turn to the second leg and the resulting positive and negative consequences for their respective favorite clubs.
What surprises me in particular is that the Romanians are listed as slight favorites on almost every sports betting app we checked. This fact irritates me more than a little …
Steaua Bucharest is no longer the club that won the Champions League in 1986 and was crowned the king of international club soccer.
Did you know that the flagship of Romanian soccer has not participated in the group stage of the Champions League or Europa League since 2018?
Of the last five EL qualifying home games against mostly much weaker opponents than LASK, Steaua only managed to win the clash against Armenian representative Shirak (2 draws, 2 defeats).
For years now, Steaua’s limited financial resources have not attracted players who could be employed by a better quality club in Central Europe
The Linzers, for their part, are not yet far enough along to really get the 2024/25 season off to a flying start.
They haven’t won in four competitive matches and still need a good rotation player in midfield, such as the currently sought-after Michael Baidoo.
Nonetheless, I consider the double chance X2 option on Thursday, which you can take out at Sunmaker Sportwetten at current odds of 1.70, to be much more interesting than a home win bet.
You can certainly leave it at a DC-X2 bet, but there are also other possible FCSB LASK bets that can be placed on the betting slip.
A draw at the break, currently at odds of 2.10, appeals to me personally and would have already brought success in the first leg.
It’s quite possible that the Romanians won’t want to or won’t be able to press too hard before the break this time either.
After all, they haven’t scored in three of their last four home games in this competition – neither before nor after the break.
In addition, the home side’s role as favorites on the betting markets also seems questionable to me because their recent results have left a lot to be desired.
Although I’ve already pointed out Linz’s winless August games, you can’t put the Romanian and Austrian leagues on the same level
Aparticularly as Linzer ASK recently faced two very strong opponents in Salzburg (0:1) and Austria Vienna (1:2).
FCSB, on the other hand, disappointed at national level before and after their 1:1 play-off draw, suffering two inexcusable defeats against Poli Iași (0:1) and – as already mentioned – against Sibiu (0:2).
These defeats are inexcusable because a club that wants to reach the group stage of the Europa League should not allow itself such results before such an important match.
Conclusion: After the 1-1 draw in the first leg, everything is still open, but I’m surprised that FCSB are the favorites on the betting markets.
The Romanians have not qualified for the group stage of this competition for six years and have recently suffered two almost embarrassing defeats in the league, which makes me skeptical about the second leg on Thursday.
In contrast, LASK have played against strong opponents such as Salzburg and Austria Vienna in the Austrian league and have shown that they are better than many expect.
This could now give the visitors the decisive advantage. My FCSB LASK tip: Double chance X2
