Smouha vs La Viena prediction 28.05.2024

• Competition: Egypt Cup, 1/16 Finals
• Date: Tuesday, 28th May, 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UTC +1 / 19:00 CEST
• Venue: Alexandria Stadium (Alexandria)

On Tuesday evening, a Premier League side, Smouha, will welcome the Division 2A team, La Viena, in the 1/16 Finals of the Egypt Cup at Alexandria Stadium in Alexandria.

Smouha have been mostly among the best few teams in Egypt in the previous decade. This year, they are having one of the best seasons in the club's history and are now in 6th place with 35 points, only three points away from 2nd-placed Al Masry. The title is surely out of reach, but securing continental competition would be a massive success. 

La Viena FC is a new name in Egyptian football, founded only four years ago. Still, they quickly moved through the fourth and third divisions and had a solid chance for promotion to the top-flight division this year. However, a loss against a direct contender for promotion (Ghazl El Mahallah) in the 27th round pretty much cost them the promotion. In the end, they missed the Promotion Playoffs by only one point and the direct promotion by four points.

Smouha vs La Viena pick: Smouha to win and cover the -1 AH spread

Smouha are in very good form, having won four of the last six matches. They looked impressive in those wins, keeping a clean sheet on all four occasions. At home, they are really great defensively, allowing only 0.73 goals per game. Only Al Ahly are slightly better than them in that category, with 0.71 allowed goals per game. So, it is fair to expect they will do well at home against the second-tier team. 

On the other hand, La Viena won just once in the last four matches against much worse competition. They had a solid season, but we do not trust them here. Last year, they faced another Premier League team (Enppi) in this stage of the competition and easily lost by 3:0. 

Simply, Smouha are a better team and in much better form. Anything but a big win for the home side would be a massive surprise for us.