Champions League Wednesday predictions: Ferencvaros to show class
- Wednesday's Champions League qualifying features seven second-leg ties
- Recommended bets:
- Ferencvaros win and Under 2.5 goals
- HJK Helsinki to win
Wednesday's Champions League first qualifying round, second leg card kicks off in Latvia with an afternoon showdown between Valmiera and Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia.
That is the first of seven ties which includes Northern Ireland champions Larne, who are hoping their first-ever Champions League campaign does not end with a first-hurdle fall at the hands of Finnish regulars HJK Helsinki.
Ferencvaros v Klaksvik (Wednesday, 5pm)
Hungarian powers Ferencvaros welcome Faroe Island champions Klaksvik to Budapest with the tie evenly poised after a 0-0 draw last week.
The stats
Ferencvaros were far the stronger team in the Faroes last Tuesday, firing off ten shots to Klaksvik's three and dominating possession.
That should not be too much of a surprise given the pedigree of the Hungarian champions, who beat Trabzonspor, Monaco and Red Star Belgrade in last season's Europa League to reach the last 32 where they succumbed to Bayer Leverkusen.
Klaksvik are by some distance the best side in the Faroes — they are top of their league with 16 wins out of 16 so far. They have played 19 away ties in Europe, failing to find the net in 11 of those.
Prediction
Ferencvaros have strengthened over the summer under their experienced boss, former Russia national team coach Stanislav Cherchesov.
Barnabas Varga, top scorer in Hungary last season with 26 league goals for Paksi before moving to the capital, had an off night in Klaksvik and will get more chances.
The 0-0 scoreline leaves the tie in the balance and Klaksvik will be determined to keep things tight to stay in the game. Class, however, ought to ultimately tell with Ferencvaros winning in a game featuring under 2.5 goals.
Larne v HJK Helsinki (Wednesday, 7.30pm)
Larne's first-ever Champions League tie ended in a 1-0 defeat at HJK Helsinki last week, leaving the tie in the balance.
The stats
Bojan Radulovic's third minute penalty was the only goal in Helsinki last week giving HJK a slender advantage.
HJK have gone off the boil over the summer, the win over Larne being just their third in the last ten matches. It is a run which cost coach Toni Koskela his job, fired moments after the final whistle blew in the first leg.
Toni Korkeakunnas has inherited a team struggling to score goals. Since a 4-1 win over Inter Turku in May they have found the net eight times in ten matches.
Larne are not up to speed yet with their domestic campaign not starting for another three weeks.
Prediction
Larne have got three problems which could work against them.
The first is new-manager syndrome with HJK hoping a change at the helm might inspire them. The second is they have played two competitive games this summer and have failed to find the net in either.
And lastly, the match has been moved from their Inver Park home to Solitude in Belfast where HJK can use their far greater experience at this level by seeing out the tie with a win at 6/5.
