Lugano vs Besiktas prediction 22.08.2024 | Europa League

• Competition: Europa League Qualifiers, Playoff Round, 1st Leg
• Date: Thursday, 22nd August, 2024
• Kickoff: 19:30 UK / 20:30 CEST
• Venue: Stockhorn Arena (Thun)

On Thursday evening, Lugano and Besiktas will face off in the Europa League Playoff Round. The first leg will take place at Stockhorn Arena in Thun, about 200 kilometers from their home stadium di Cornaredo in Lugano.

Lugano have been among the best teams in Switzerland in the past few years. Last year, they finished second in both the league and the Cup. Still, by finishing second in the Super League, they got the opportunity to play in the Champions League Qualifiers. Unfortunately, they were eliminated by another Turkish team, Fenerbahce, on a 6:4 aggregate. Later, in the EL Qualifiers (3rd Round), they met against Partizan Belgrade and barely secured the next round, winning 3:2 on aggregate after the extra time. While in the European Qualifiers Lugano were far from impressive, they are doing well in the domestic league, where they won nine points in four rounds and are one point away from the top spot.

Besiktas, along with Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, are investing a lot of money in their attempt to make some noise both in the domestic league and in Europe as well. While they did not spend nearly as much as the other two great Turkish teams, Besiktas managed to secure the Cup title last year and reach Europe that way. To be fair, they were bad in Super Lig, finishing only 6th, which is unacceptable for them. However, over the Summer, it seems they've done a great job as they won all three games so far, including a Super Cup game against Galatasaray (5:0). Before the start of the duel against Lugano, the bookies see Besiktas as the clear favorite to advance to the EL Group Stage, offering odds around 1.2-1.3.

Lugano vs Besiktas pick: Besiktas to win

So far, in European Qualifiers, Lugano were pretty bad. They had good moments against Fenerbahce in the Champions League Qualifiers, but their games against Partizan were far from impressive. Yes, they won in the end, but Partizan Belgrade are going through probably the worst period in the club's history, and they still were super close to eliminating the Swiss vice-champions. Despite a good start in the domestic league, Lugano lost three of four European games while losing both home games. Surely, one of the reasons for their poor home performance is the fact that they are playing their European games in Thun, not in their usual stadium in Lugano.

On the other hand, Besiktas started the season great! They won all three games with a 11:2 goal difference. The most impressive was a 5:0 win in the Super Cup against the Super Lig champs, Galatasaray. Judging from the start of the season, it seems they've assembled a great team, and we expect a lot from them not only against Lugano but in the (potential) Group phase as well.

Considering all the above, we believe that Besiktas should secure a win in the first leg.