It’s finally here, the first round of Champion’s League group stage. Today we will take a look at match, that will see 2 teams from Group A face-off against each other.
Basel and Ludogorets are both low-rated teams and taking into consideration other 2 teams in their group (Arsenal and PSG) it will be quite a difficult task to finish in the second place. The Swiss champions, who dominate their domestic league will have a chance to see how Bulgaria champions compete.
Basel is in a good shape this season, and with performances they are showing it seems like this year will bring them another trophy in their domestic league. With 8 consecutive wins in the domestic league, it’s clear that Basel is highly motivated to show they can perform on the European level. I might also mention, they played amazingly in the qualifications for CL, thus they are a favourite in this match. However, Basel will start the match weakened due to missing several key players. That will probably result in them playing more carefully, as they would not like to get behind, especially in front of their own fans.
Ludogorets, on the other side showed strong determination and team play in the qualifications. But still they seem as a inconsistent team for me. Currently they are on 3rd place in the domestic league, with a record of 3W-1D-1L. Despite being a huge underdog in their group, I don’t see them giving up points easily, no matter who their opponents are. So expect Ludogorets to show strong fight against all of their opponents.
VERDICT
Looking at previous encounter between these two teams, Basel won 3 times, whereas Ludogorets won only once. There were 13 goals in 4 encounters between these two teams, so we can expect an interesting match. Both sides are eager to win points here and will try to achieve that by playing a bit more aggressive. Basel is expected to get their lead, as they have shown they can perform in front of their own fans, but that does not mean it will be a easy match. Ludogorets are well organised and a solid team, not to be underestimated. They have strong attacking players, which will surely result in a goal of their own. Expect a dynamic match with lots of scoring opportunities.
Prediction: Over 2.5
Odds: 1.99 Pinnacle
