Champions League
2019-07-17 - Rosenborg vs Linfield
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: Champions League First Qualifying Round Second Leg
Wednesday 17th July 2019 - Kick Off 6pm (British Time)
Preview
A place in the Second Qualifying Round has been all but secured by Rosenborg after they left Northern Ireland with a 0-2 lead from the First Leg of this tie. That isn't to say that Linfield will come here with no hope, but it is a huge task for a club that doesn't have the same resources as Rosenborg and one that is yet to start their domestic campaign.
The Northern Irish League doesn't get underway until the second week in August so this always felt like a really difficult tie for Champions Linfield. There is plenty of European experience with the club, but they did not make either the Champions League or Europa League last season and two season ago Linfield were beaten very easily by Celtic in what was a much anticipated fixture.
At least this season they will have the fallback of a place in the Europa League, but Linfield are not really expected to make a big impact at this level. Instead it will give the players the incentive to want to perform domestically and have a chance to return to Europe next season.
Linfield's task to knock off Rosenborg looked all the more difficult with the Norwegian League in full swing already. It does have to be said that Rosenborg have not made the best start to defending the title they won last season, but 4 straight wins in all competitions might suggest they are rounding into form as they bid to push for a place in the Champions League Group Stage.
This is a long path for Rosenborg to tread from the First Qualifying Round into the Group Stage, but teams have been able to negotiate it and they have made a good start towards that. Last season Rosenborg fell short, but did manage to get into the Europa League Group Stage and I have to believe that is going to be the minimum expectation for this group of players this time around too.
Rosenborg have won 4 of their last 5 games at home and the exception saw them forced in a Penalty Shoot Out defeat. That underlines the problems for Linfield in this one, while Rosenborg have lost just 1 of their last 6 home Champions League ties. They did need Extra Time to beat Dundalk from the Republic of Ireland, but the situation looks a difficult one for Linfield as they have to score at least twice here.
These teams are meeting for the sixth time on Wednesday and it is Rosenborg who leads with 3 wins. The other 2 matches have both ended in draws, while Rosenborg have beaten Linfield in the two matches they have hosted.
Prediction
With a 0-2 win from the First Leg away from home, Rosenborg don't have to push too many men forward in this one and that makes the Asian Handicap look a big for them to cover.
However they should be considerably sharper than Linfield and Rosenborg have also picked up some strong form in recent games. They will want to keep the momentum going with bigger fixtures coming up and I think they can make it a third straight home win over the Northern Irish club on Wednesday.
If Rosenborg can get in front in the first half hour, I would expect their superior fitness and quality to tell in this one.
The Pick :
Rosenborg 3-0 Linfield
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Rosenborg - 2.25 Asian Handicap at 1.91 with BetVictor
