Neftchi Baku vs Olympiakos
28 July 1800hrs
Football – Europe – Champions League
Pick Olympiakos
Bookmaker Betvictor
Odds: 21/20 odds taken 2000 GMT, Monday 26 July
Olympiakos travel to Azerbaijan with a one goal lead but Neftchi Baku will feel they are very much in this tie and looking to cause a significant shock in the Champions League qualifiers.
Table of Contents
Neftchi Baku Preview – Can Neftchi keep their Champions League hope dreams alive with a come from behind win?
Neftchi Baku won four league titles between 2004 and 2013 but have had to wait eight years for their next domestic success. And it came with the smallest of margins as they pipped rivals Qarabag by two points last season. It presents a chance to play Champions League group stage football for the first time in their history but they have work to do if they are to achieve that.
Samir Abasov has been in charge of the club for less than a year but it’s been an extremely successful time in charge. He’ll be hoping that can continue by leading Neftchi to what would be the biggest result in their history.
Olympiakos Preview – Will Olympiakos’ experience tell as they look to negotiate tricky second leg?
Olympiakos are regulars in the group stages of the Champions League but the fact they find themselves having to qualify to reach that phase shows that they are unable to make any sort of significant impact when they compete with the best Europe has to offer. Pedro Martins will not be phased by that as he attempts to guide the club there for the third time in four attempts in his tenure.
They Greek champions collected three points in their section last season but it was enough to see them finish third and qualify for the group stages of the Europa League.
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Mohamed Camara had a incident packed first leg. The Guinea midfielder scored the goals only game but was then sent off just before half-time to ensure a nervy second half. He’ll miss this encounter as a result but perhaps this biggest disadvantage for his team is they could not build on their lead when they were playing at home. They must now negotiate a second leg in difficult circumstances.
With star man Youssef El-Arabi missing, the onus is on Egyptian striker Koka to score goals. He managed 10 in the league last season and scored a couple in Europe as well.
Neftchi Baku vs Olympiakos Betting Advice
This was probably one of those ties you expected to be a routine victory for Olympiakos due to the experience they have and their opponents being at the other end of that spectrum. However, the circumstances of the first leg means it’s very much finely balanced.
The winners of this tie will progress to face either Ludogorets or Mura in the third round of qualification whilst the loser will drop into the Europa League with the loser of the Malmo vs Hacken tie.
Key Facts – Neftchi Baku vs Olympiakos Betting Tip
- Neftchi won their first domestic title in eight years last season, narrowly seeing off Qarabag
- Olympiakos have made it to the group stages of the Champions League in three of the last four seasons
- The winners of this game will face either Ludogorets or Mura in the third round of qualification
The margin of victory would likely have been bigger if Olympiakos had kept 11 men on the park last week. Assuming that they are able to do that this time around then I fancy the Greek champions to have too much over 90 minutes and complete the job.
Best Betting Odds for Neftchi Baku vs Olympiakos
