Feyenoord v Dinamo Tbilisi
Thursday 8th August 1830hrs
Football – Europe – Europa League
Pick Over 2.5 goals
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 53/100 (odds taken 21.00 GMT, Wednesday 7 August)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/25 | 97/20 | 27/4 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on August 7, 2019 at 21.00)
On paper this looks to be a very one-sided tie but Feyenoord will hoping they can avoid any upsets as Dinamo Tbilisi are the visitors in Rotterdam on Thursday night
Europa League Betting at Marathon Bet
Feyenoord Preview – Will it be as expected and an easy home win for Feynoord?
As they so often do, Feyenoord finished in third spot last season behind Ajax and PSV. The Rotterdam-based club are aware of their limitations in trying to compete with their two rivals these days. Despite finishing well adrift of the top two, Feyenoord were themselves well ahead of the others. That ensured they avoid having to qualify for Europe via the end of season playoffs. The culmination of the previous campaign brought to an end the four year reign of club legend Giovanni Van Bronckhorst as manager. In that time he restored Feyenoord to the top of the Dutch game with that title in in 2017, winning the Dutch Cup a year later. Considering the struggles that the club have had in the years before his arrival, it was a tremendous achievement. His replacement, and taking over this summer, was his former international team-mate Jaap Stam. Stam was in charge of PEC Zwolle last season but it was a rather underwhelming spell. This will instantly be a greater challenge for the former Reading boss.
Stam’s first game in charge was a very entertaining 2-2 draw against Rotterdam rivals Sparta. It was not the result he would have wanted, however, and will be looking for his first win in this game. That’s no guarantee for them, though, after their embarrassing result in last season’s third round stage. A 4-0 loss away to Trencin was followed by a feeble 1-1 draw in the return game. Stam will be dreading a repeat of that and looking to avoid it at all costs.
Dinamo Tbilisi Preview – Can Georgians cause a big upset or at least be in the tie for the return leg?
Tbilisi may travel to Rotterdam with little expectation on them but they could not be in better form for this challenge that awaits. The Georgians have been excellent in the first two rounds of qualifying, scoring 12 goals and conceding none across their four games. The Andorrans Engordany were brushed aside 7-0 on aggregate before an impressive 5-0 win over Qabala from Azerbaijan. It means they have progressed to the furthest stage of Europa League qualifying since 2013 when they made it to the playoffs only to lose heavily to Tottenham. This is certainly a big hurdle for them to overcome to even get to that stage, but they are playing well.
In domestic terms it’s also been a really good run of form for Tbilisi. They are currently top of their league and have won their last eight games. It’s a tremendous run and one they hope will see them clinch the title come the end of the season. Before that, however, they will be looking to be competitive in this game.
Key-Facts – Feyenoord v Dinamo Tbilisi
- Jaap Stam took over as Feyenoord boss in the summer and got his reign off to a shaky start with a 2-2 home draw against Sparta Rotterdam
- Dinamo Tbilisi have won their last eight league games and have also won all four of their Europa League qualifiers thus far
- The Dutch club will be looking to avoid a repeat of last season’s tie at this stage when losing to Slovakians Trencin 5-1 on aggregate
Feyenoord v Dinamo Tbilisi Betting Advice
If Feyenoord do not progress from this tie it would be a shock – there’s no getting away from that. It would also be a bigger shock than when they were eliminated at the same stage 12 months ago. That’s the pressure which comes with a tie of this sort and it’s what Stam and his players have to deal with. For the visitors there’s absolutely no pressure on them and they come into this game full of confidence with their impressive form both domestically and in Europe.
With this being so early in the Stam reign it’s uncertain exactly how he will approach this game. Tbilisi have goals in them, however, as shown in their previous qualifiers. The 2-2 draw at home to Sparta at the weekend also suggests that there are goals at both ends in this early part of the season for Feyenoord which makes over 2.5 goals an appealing bet.
