Romanian giants Steaua Bucaresti host Hapoel Beer Sheva in the Europa League, with the home side looking to make it four consecutive wins in Group G. However, with Hapoel still in with a real chance of qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition, it could well be a close encounter at the National Arena.
Champions League – National Arena, Bucharest – Thursday 2nd November – 21:05 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5/2 at Ladbrokes |
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Steaua Bucaresti
Hapoel Beer ShevaHaving won all three of their matches in Group G so far, Steaua are the firm favourites to defeat Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva at home next week, a win that would confirm their place in the knockout stage of the Europa League. Manager Nicolae Dica’s men led his side to a narrow win in Israel just last week, with the 1986 European Champions looking to return to somewhere close to their historic best come the latter stages of the campaign. Despite the home side being the favourites for victory, there are still a number of appealing betting markets to be found online, with our top betting tip being just one. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Steaua Bucaresti Team News & Form
Wins over Viktoria Plzen and Lugano in Group G were followed by last week’s impressive victory in Israel, with French striker Harlem Gnohéré scoring two second half goals in helping his team to a 2-1 success away from home. The Steaua team is dominated by Romanian talent, with Captain Denis Alibec having impressed hugely since his arrival from rivals Astra Giurgiu in the summer. Steaua have excellent records in both attack and defence in Europe this season, scoring seven, while conceding just two.
Hapoel Beer Sheva Team News & Form
Hapoel have been disappointing in this competition so far this season, with Barak Bakhar’s men having collected just three points from the same number of games. Their single success came against Lugano on the opening week of the competition, where a late penalty from defender Shir Tzedek helped them to a 2-1 scoreline. However, with the Israeli side having defeated fierce rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Premier League over the weekend, fans of Hapoel will be hoping that their team can rediscover their top form in time for this match.
Head to Head
Before last week’s clash in the Israel, the two teams had never previously met in a competitive fixture. However, with Steaua having earned a narrow victory away from home, it is the Romanian side who are backed as the favourites for the reverse tie.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given the result between the two clubs last week, it perhaps doesn’t come as a surprise that it is Steaua who are the firm favourites to claim all three points in front of their home supporters. The home side can be backed for the win at odds of 13/5 with Ladbrokes, while the same bookmaker has the visitors as the underdogs, with odds of 3.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for the match is to bet on Steaua Bucaresti winning the match and over 2.5 goals being scored, which is available at odds of 15/8 with Ladbrokes.