B36 Torshavn vs Besiktas Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Having come through not one but two rounds already, B36 have equalled their previous best performance in Europa League qualifying, though achieving a personal best by reaching the third round is likely to prove beyond them. Edging past opposition from Gibraltar and Montenegro is one thing, though beating a team who’re used to competing among Europe’s elite in the Champions League is something different altogether.

After a below par year domestically Besiktas find themselves having to qualify for Europe’s secondary club competition, though they may not be too disheartened by that. They should have little trouble getting past inferior opponents, while it’s better to be playing competitive fixtures at this stage of the season rather than friendlies.

B36, who’ve been unconvincing against teams from the lowest rungs of European football so far in qualifying, may be facing a Besiktas team who’ll be playing their first competitive match of the season, though they’re still massively up against it. The fact that the hosts have already played four matches in qualifying, coupled with the fact that they’re currently in the middle of the domestic campaign, doesn’t really mean much, such is the disparity in quality.

What’s more, B36 struggled defensively against St Joseph’s of Gibraltar during the first round, as they conceded both home and away. They may have kept a clean sheet at home against Montenegrin side OFK Titograd, though it wasn’t as if they did so securely, while they were once again unable to keep the ball out of their own net in the second-leg. Given their defensive performances against such poor teams, it’s very easy to envisage Besiktas doing a lot of damage in this fixture.

As mentioned above, this will be Besiktas’ first competitive match of the season, though it’s not the worst place to start. A convincing win against poor opposition should help the Turkish side to ease back into things and start building momentum prior to the tougher challenges that lie ahead. They have played a few friendlies of late, scoring two goals against Reading just over a week ago, while they turned up the heat when scoring three against Russian side Krasnodar last time out.

When last in this competition, Besiktas made light work of scoring plenty of goals against far better teams than lowly B36 Torshavn. Back in 2017 they made it to the quarter-finals where they lost against Lyon on Penalties. On route to that quarter-final, the Turkish outfit scored five in two legs against Be’er Sheva, while they also notched five in two legs against Olympiakos.

At the end of the day, this is a mismatch and it is of course the Turkish team who’re backed to win, with a considerable amount in hand. Backing ‘Besiktas to Score Over 2.5 Goals’ is the way to make this one pay.