Match Preview and Betting Tips.
Zorya and Fenerbahce will play their first head to head matches in history in this season’s UEFA Europa League group stage. The Turkish team is set as favorites by the bookies, but according to the form they showed at the start of the domestic campaign, we should not be surprised at all to see them dropping points in the opening match this Thursday at Stadion Chernomorets in Odessa.
Unfortunately for Zorya fans, their team can’t play at their Slavutych-Arena in Zaporozhye because it does not meet the criteria required by UEFA for Europa League group stage matches. The
team started the season in Ukrainian Premier League in a very strong fashion, with four victories and a draw from five opening rounds, but Yuriy Vernydub’s men seem to have run into a crisis following two consecutive failures against Dnipro and Stal. They are thus trailing five points behind the leaders Shakhtar Donetsk at the moment. The team is handicapped due to the fact Shakhtar returned Oleksandr Karavaev from loan. Karavaev was Zorya’s best player, having already bagged four goals this season.
Fenerbahce on the other side are far from enjoying their best times. The team took only a single point from the opening three rounds in Turkish Super Lig which seriously challenges Dick Advocaat’s ambitions and reign on the bench of one of the most famous Turkish teams. The last of the failures was the 0 – 1 defeat they suffered from Bursaspor this Saturday on home ground. It is pretty strange to see the team with Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Emenike, Moussa Sow and Jermaine Lens in their squad struggling a lot at the start of the season.
We obviously don’t suggest backing the visitors here, even though they have a better squad. Instead, we will go with the draw at the half time as our number one betting pick given at the odds of 5/4.
Fenerbahce on the other side are far from enjoying their best times. The team took only a single point from the opening three rounds in Turkish Super Lig which seriously challenges Dick Advocaat’s ambitions and reign on the bench of one of the most famous Turkish teams. The last of the failures was the 0 – 1 defeat they suffered from Bursaspor this Saturday on home ground. It is pretty strange to see the team with Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Emenike, Moussa Sow and Jermaine Lens in their squad struggling a lot at the start of the season.
We obviously don’t suggest backing the visitors here, even though they have a better squad. Instead, we will go with the draw at the half time as our number one betting pick given at the odds of 5/4.
