Teura Durres vs Beitar Jerusalem
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Today’s free tip is in the UEFA Europa League qualifier between Teuta Durres and Beitar Jerusalem.
There’s plenty of previous when it comes to Albania and Israel so this game kicking off would not surprise me one bit. Both are very proud people, and both will seldom admit that they’re wrong, so I don’t see either backing down here. Truth be told, I don’t think either team has picked a particularly good representative for today’s match, at least not when it comes to showcasing what each country’s football is supposed to be about. Still, the bookies seem hell-bent on trusting the Israelis today, which I find interesting, to say the least.
Beitar Jeruslaem are the bigger and better team; fair enough. Ligat Ha’al teams have been struggling in Europe for the past few years now though. As football progresses, Israeli football has not moved with i. It’s still the same frantic, end-to-end, impatient football that is generally lacking in composure. Teams like Beitar Jerusalem have more skill and speed than they’re given credit for, but are given far too much credit for being a good team when they’re…well, not. Beitar Jerusalem are only in this competition because their rivals dropped off, not because they did anything special themselves.
On paper, this is one of the weaker Beitar Jerusalem teams I’ve seen. They’ve done alright in the Toto Cup Ligat Ha’al of late but then again, nobody in Israel cares about that so anyone could do well in it, really. The fact that this club has still got past-it Tal Ben-Haim in defence, and Ronny Levi in charge (again) tells you how backward they truly are. This club has not progressed in years, hence the continual fan protests about the club’s ownership. For a big club – and they are one – they’re a bit of a joke, Beitar Jerusalem. The potential will always be there for them to be more than they are, but it’s almost never realised. Nothing about their current squad makes me think otherwise.
Key French midfielder Plumain left for Samsunspor lately, and Kinda has left for Sporting Kansas City. They were the only two to go, which I think tells you all you need to know about the state of the Beitar Jerusalem squad, a team that opted to replace Varenne with Atar. Atar may be a better finisher, but how is that a progressive long-term move? They’ve also not given Maman the time of day since his transfer, although he’ll have to play more now because two midfielders have left. Those departures – as well as lack of convincing incoming transfers – makes me think that Beitar Jerusalem are in for yet another disappointing year on every front. I mean, Biton from Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Dgani from Hapoel Tel-Aviv to sort their defence out? Really? Alongside Ben-Haim? I don’t see this going well.
The only Beitar Jerusalem player I like a lot is Ohana, and even he is very inconsistent, hence already being passed around from pillar to post. A new Vermouth, perhaps? He’s very skilful but lacks the mental drive and composure to be considered a good player. He’s a typical example of what Beitar Jerusalem are bringing to their club nowadays, and that’s not a positive. To put it bluntly, unless unknown young Suriname forward Vlijter turns out to be a world-beater, Beitar Jerusalem are going to be very slow and very predictable this season, a combination that I don’t see working against a fiery Albanian host. Let’s not forget that midfield regular Einbinder is out for the away team too!
Teuta Durres are the same as all Albanian teams in the sense that they’ll never give anyone an inch at home. KF Tirana did the same to Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League lately, and left the game wondering how the Serbs won because the Albanians were very good on the night. What they lack in quality, they make up for in belief and tenacity. They’ve reinforced their squad well ahead of their European campaign, bringing in attacker Krasniqi from Skenderbeu Korce and prolific Brazilian midfielder Iran Conceicao from Besa Kavaje, and should be well equipped to not only annoy Beitar Jerusalem but possibly even beat them here. It’ll be an interesting match.
I do think the visitors have been priced too short here though, so as far as I am concerned, backing the home team not to lose in ninety minutes makes sense at evens.
Verdict: Teuta Durres to win with a +0.5 Asian Handicap at evens.
Thursday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
UEFA Europa League:
B36 Torshavn vs FCI Levadia Tallinn
Iskra vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Gijlani vs APOEL Nicosia
FK Ventspils vs Dinamo-Auto
Ordabasy vs Botosani
Kairat Almaty vs Noah
Nomme Kalju vs Mura
Teura Durres vs Beitar Jerusalem
Borac Banja Luka vs Sutjeska Niksic
Dinamo Minsk vs Piast Gliwice
Neftchi Baku vs Shkupi
Sumqayit vs Shkendija ‘79
Apollon Limassol vs Saburtalo
Bodo/Glimt vs Kauno Zalgiris
Alashkert vs Renova Dzepciste
Olimpija Ljubljana vs Vikingur Reykjavik
Fehervar vs Bohemians (IRE)
Rosenborg BK vs Breidablik Kopavogur
Hammarby vs Puskas FC
AGF vs FC Honka Espoo
Zalgiris Vilnius vs Flora Paide
Malmo FF vs Cracovia Krakow
Vaduz vs Hibernians (MLT)
Kesla/Inter Baku vs Laci
Maccabi Haifa vs Zeljeznicar Sarajevo
CSKA Sofia vs Sirens
Lokomotiv Tbilisi vs Universitatea Craiova
FH vs DAC Dunajska Streda
The New Saints vs MSK Zilina
Shakhtyor Soligorsk vs Sfintul Gheorghe
Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Dinamo Batumi
Zrinjski Mostar vs Differdange 03
Valletta FC vs Bala Town
Kukesi vs Slavia Sofia
Petrocub vs Backa Topola
Servette vs Ruzomberok
FSCB vs Shirak Yuremni
Maribor vs Coleraine
Aberdeen vs NSI Runavik
Motherwell vs Glentoran
Partizan Belgrade vs Rigas FS
Budapest Honved vs Inter Turku
Shamrock Rovers vs Ilves
Lech Poznan vs Valmiera/BSS
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
General Diaz vs Sol de America
Libertad Asuncion vs Sportivo Luqueno
Enjoy your free betting tips!