Champions League
2007-07-18 - FK Pobeda vs Levadia Tallinn
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
A huge match awaits the winner of this tie in the shape of Crvena Zvezda (formerly known as Red Star Belgrade) and this will provide added motivation for the champions of Macedonia and Estonia.FK Pobeda last played in Europe 3 years ago and were beaten in the first qualifying round of the Champions League to the Armenian champions FC Pyunik. They won the title on the last day of season but have since lost 2 key players from the squad without replacing them. A recent tour of Serbia saw them lose all three matches, only scoring 1 goal in the process. However, the coach Nikolce Zdravevski is not worried about such results.
Levadia Tallinn come into this tie already completing half of their seasons games in their domestic league. They currently lead the standings by 10 points and have only lost 1 of their 20 league games. They have won their last 4 away games in the domestic leagues without conceding a goal.
Levadia's European pedigree is improving each season. Last year was the first time a team from Estonia had got through 2 rounds of European competition and they only went out 3-1 on aggregate to Newcastle United. However, they have lost 4 of their last 5 away matches in Europe, the sole draw coming at Twente last season.
It must be noted that teams from Estonia have traditionally struggled against teams from the Yugoslavian Republics, with 14 matches producing 13 losses and 1 draw.
It is also very hot in Macedonia today and this could favour the home team. The right noises are coming from the home team, comments including the hope to win by 2 clear goals to enable a safe passage through to the next round.
Lavadia will be a much tougher proposition in Estonia, and I feel this game will be tight so that they can keep it close before going back home. Pobeda will look to finish the tie as a contest here.
MY PREDICTION:
A tight game decided by the odd goal, Pobeda 2-1 Levadia
