Shakhtyor Soligorsk Vs Ludogorets Betting Tip: Home or Draw – 13 July 2021

Second leg in Belarus no walk in the park for Ludo

Yuri Kendysh / Shakhter ©IMAGO / Misha Alexandrov 07/11/2020

Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk Vs Ludogorets Bulgaria

Tuesday 13 July, 2021 – 20:30
UEFA Champions League Qualifying
Pick: Shakhtyor Soligorsk or Draw
Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 11 July 2021)

Preview: Bulgarian champions Ludogorets have one foot in the next round courtesy of a 1-0 win from the first leg, but must now navigate a tricky outing in Belarus where a Shakhtyor Soligorsk side unbeaten in nine European home matches awaits.

UEFA Champions League Betting at Betfair

 

Shakhtyor Soligorsk – Champions of Belarus capable of mounting comeback?

A rough first round draw is the club’s reward for securing only a second Belarusian top division title. This after pipping national powerhouse BATE Borisov – who also happen to be the only club from Belarus to have competed in the group stage of the Champions League – to first place by a single point. It was no flash in the pan, though, finishing among the top three domestically for the last eleven years straight.

They have since begun the 2021-22 season in imperious fashion. Up until a recent 1-1 draw with Dinamo Minsk, who sit third so are no pushovers, this side had won all thirteen league fixtures, scoring 31 and conceding a mere six times. Seven of those victories included a clean sheet while all but one were at home. Furthermore, summer recruit Dembo Darboe has hit the ground running with 13 goals in 14 appearances.

The Miners almost came away from the first leg in Bulgaria with a hard earned goalless draw, but were denied that in stoppage time. Nevertheless, they will fancy their chances of overturning that deficit at their Storitel Stadium, where, in Europe, they have not been beaten in nine (W4 D5). Not since a 1-0 scoreline to Austrian outfit Wolfsberger AC in the second round of Europa League qualifying in 2015.

 

Shakhtyor Soligorsk Win To Nil
11/2

Betfair

 

Ludogorets – Bulgarian’s well-placed to reach second round?

Oliveira Souza’s late strike in Bulgaria has the 10-time Bulgarian champions – all in a row from 2011-12 onwards – in the ascendancy ahead of the second leg in Belarus. And while visits there have been infrequent to say the least, they did stop over last season. A 2-0 victory in the Europa League play-off over Dynamo Brest confirming a fifth consecutive group stage participation in UEFA competition.

That European pedigree should stand them in good stead for Tuesday, and possibly beyond. Ludogorets have turned out on seven occasions in either the Champions League (2) or Europa League (5) proper. Though may wish to put the most recent among them to their back of their minds after losing all six group matches, conceding eleven times across three away encounters, in last season’s Europa League.

In European qualifiers, the club do retain a fearsome record of having lost just two of the last eleven away (W5 D4). This includes none of the most recent five, with that triumph in Belarus among three victories. A possible cause for concern, however, might be their league record last term when asked to travel. The Eagles lost just five times on their way to another title but of these, four were away from home.

Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions

Football Betting Tips

Click here for more Betting Tips

 

Shakhtyor Soligorsk Vs Ludogorets Betting Advice

That incredibly late goal in the first leg in Bulgaria has swung the odds of progression even further in Ludogorets favour. But this tie is far from over. Shakhtyor Soligorsk are certainly capable of maximising home advantage, having not lost a home European game in more than five years. They have also made a terrific start to the new domestic campaign, recording 13 victories out of 14 thus far.

 

Shakhtyor Soligorsk Vs Ludogorets – Key Facts:

  • Bulgarian champions Ludogorets hold a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg and are looking to reach the group stage of a UEFA competition for the sixth successive season.
  • Shakhtyor Soligorsk claimed a second Belarusian championship last term but have never progressed further than the third qualifying round in the Champions League or Europa League.
  • A win for Ludogorets would represent their fourth away from home in five European qualifiers (D1). However, Shakhtyor Soligorsk haven’t lost a European home game since 2015 (W4 D5).

 

Should the visitors come away with the win, it would represent their fourth away from home in European qualifiers in five such matches. So they are undoubtedly the more seasoned. However, it has been a long time since Shakhtyor Soligorsk lost a home qualifier. This, coupled with some outstanding defensive numbers across the last two league seasons in Belarus, gives me hope that the hosts can take something.

Best Betting Odds – Shakhtyor Soligorsk Vs Ludogorets

Shakhtyor Soligorsk – 11/4
Draw – 23/10
Ludogorets – 20/23

(All odds shown taken from Betfair)