After a six-goal thriller last week, the scores are level as Istanbul Basaksehir take on Club Brugge in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round.
UEFA Champions League – Third Qualifying Round (2nd Leg) Wednesday 2nd August – 18:45 UK Time
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Draw
Best Odd of: 11/4 at Sky Bet |
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Istanbul Basaksehir
Club BruggeFirst Leg
Club Brugge looked to be running away with the first leg, taking a 2-0 lead into the break with goals from Bonaventure and Denswil. However, the Turkish side hit back in the second half. Mossoro pulled a goal back on 59 minutes, and Elia netted the equaliser just three minutes later. The Belgian side were on the back foot and were soon behind when Mossoro added his second of the match on 74 minutes.
Brugge weren’t to be denied though, and Denswil bagged himself a brace on 79 minutes to level things up. Istanbul Basaksehir were the better side overall and deserved their three away goals. They had more possession and created more goal attempts. Brugge must win this match, or score at least three goals in a high-scoring draw to stand any chance of advancing to the next round.
Istanbul Basaksehir Form
Basaksehir had played just two friendlies between the end of their domestic season at the start of June and the first leg of this tie last week. Having beaten Slovenian side Triglav and earning a draw against Vitesse, they then went to Belgium and put in a great performance. This is the first time they have ever played in the Champions League, and they are now favourites to make it through to the Play-Off stage.
Club Brugge Form
Brugge won their first four pre-season friendlies and looked to be building momentum ahead of the new season. However, that didn’t last and a draw with Sparta Rotterdam was sandwiched between defeats to AZ Alkmaar and Athletic Bilbao. This slowed down their momentum and they couldn’t pick up the first leg victory they would have hoped for.
Since last week, Brugge have kicked off their domestic league season with a convincing 4-0 victory over Lokeren.
Head to Head
The only previous meeting before the first leg of this tie was a friendly match in 2015. That match finished 1-1, and the 3-3 last week makes it two draws from two meetings between these sides.
Betting Odds and Predictions
After picking up a draw away from home, Istanbul Basaksehir were obviously going to be favourites for the victory as hosts. Sky Bet have the Turkish side priced at 3/4, with Club Brugge at 16/5.
The draw is priced at 11/4 and we believe that could be the best bet for this match, considering the previous two matches have finished level.
If punters want, they can bet on either team using the ‘Draw No Bet’ market and receive their stake back if it does end level. Basaksehir are priced at 1/3 in this market, with Brugge at 9/4.
This match may not be as much of a goal fest as the first leg, although we do think there will be goals in it.
Both teams have scored in the previous two meetings and probably will again here. It’s priced at 4/6 for Both teams to Score, which is a decent price given the fact they scored three apiece last time out.
Another bet which looks likely to come in is Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 4/6.
Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals combined is priced at 6/5 and could be worth a punt.
If you believe this match will see as much goal action as the first, you can punt on a higher number of goals in the Over/Under market.
It’s 7/4 for Over 3.5 Goals, and 4/1 for Over 4.5.
One bet which offers fantastic value is Both Teams to Score in Both Halves.
Although it hasn’t happened in the previous meetings, the importance of this game and the attacking qualities shown in the first leg make the possibility of it happening here a little higher. Sky Bet offer odds of 14/1 for BTTS in Both Halves, which is high enough odds for those who like to take a risk on an outside bet.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is Both Teams to Score, at odds of 4/6 with Sky Bet.