APOEL Nicosia v Jablonec Betting Preview 2010-07-29 Europa League Qualifications

Lot’s of games today in the Europa League, perfect for us bettors.

Unfortunately I can go over one or two only since I have limited time, but I will put up few unjustified picks in the Football Picks section as well.

This is one of the games that I find safe to bet and will tell you why.

APOEL Nicosia, from Cyprus is probably a familiar team for you if you have watched Champions League last year. They were in the group stage next to Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Porto.

The 0:0 they achieved in the first game was very memorable followed by 3 losses and 2 draws and they placed last but with the same amount of points as Atletico Madrid. The only thing that sent Atletico in Europa League was that goal away scored in Cyprus.

Quite a season for the boys from Nicosia, and they are determined to do even better this year.

Jablonec is Czech football club and there’s not a lot whole of information about it. They are currently taking the 9th spot in the Czech first division, with 2 games and 3 points.

Their Last 6 Games were:

Sigma Olomouc 4-1 FK Jablonec
FK Jablonec 1-0 FC Brno
FK Jablonec 1-2 Plzen
FK Jablonec 2-0 Ceske Budejovice
Slavia Prague 0-3 FK Jablonec
FK Jablonec 0-0 Teplice

Mixed results with only one away win against Slavia Prague, back in the old 2009/2010 season.

Last 6 games for APOEL:

APOEL 3-1 FK Tauras
FK Tauras 0-3 APOEL
APOEL 1-2 Apollon L.
APOEL 3-2 Apollon L.
Omonia 1-0 APOEL
Aris Limassol 0-2 APOEL

Not bad, 4 victories out of 6 games, and having in mind last year’s success, APOEL are clearly the favorite for this game.

What’s to expect from the match?

Nicosia, plays strong at home, and will go for the win tonight. An early goal is very possible and an overall victory for them will be a must, to make it easier for the return match. Jablonec will perhaps start with a defensive formation, hoping to get a point out of this game, depending on counter attacks.

The Betting Verdict?

Backing Apoel Nicosia to win @ 1.69 (Betfair.com): Taking in consideration the current shape of Apoel, the home factor and last year’s success, this game should be an easy cake for the team of Cyprus. A victory here will almost guarantee the team an advancement to the play-offs.