Kauno Zalgiris had zero shots and 25% possession in the first tie last week. There is a gulf separating them and Besiktas in terms of quality, so I am backing the visitors to score early and win HT-FT.
Key Stats
- Kauno Zalgiris have lost HT-FT in their last 3 matches (European competitions).
- Besiktas have won 6 of their last 7 matches.
One Previous Meeting
Last week's match in Istanbul was the first head to head clash between Kauno Zalgiris and Besiktas.
Hosts Facing an Uphill Battle
Kauno Zalgiris’ European journey started in early July in the UCL qualifiers where they eliminated Drita 4-3 and Klaksvik 1-0 on aggregate.
The Lithuanian champions couldn’t compete against Dinamo Zagreb, suffering a heavy 5-0 loss in Croatia, while also losing in front of the home crowd 2-1 in the reverse tie.
They didn't offer much last week in Istanbul either, losing 3-0 to Besiktas while having 0.13 xG, 25% possession and zero shots on target.
Besiktas Controlled the First Tie
It took only 12 minutes for Besiktas to score twice against Kauno Zalgiris last week, Oh Hyeon-Gyu and Michael Murillo finding the net, while the final 3-0 score was set by Orkun Kokcu later.
So far their Europa League performances have been great, eliminating one of the strongest Scandinavian teams Midtjylland 3-0 on aggregate, while also earning two victories against Hradec Kralove (1-0 on both occasions) to advance to the final qualifying round.
Vincenzo Italiano's side also started the new Super Lig campaign with a 1-0 win over Eyupspor, but suffered a surprising 1-0 loss at Alanyaspor last weekend where they had more possession, shots and higher xG.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Kauno Zalgiris (4-1-4-1) Tomas Svedkauskas; Joris Moutachy, Anton Tolordava, Rokas Lekiatas, Marko Konatar; Vykintas Slivka; Amine Benchaib, Franco Baldassarra, Anthony Kalik, Leon Krekovic; Gabriel Debeljuh
Hosts have no injuries or suspensions ahead of this clash.
Besiktas (4-1-2-3) Alexander Nubel; Michael Amir Murillo, Tiago Djalo, Emirhan Topcu, Ridvan Yilmaz; Salih Ozcan; Orkun Kokcu, Junior Olaitan; Vaclav Cerny, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Dusan Vlahovic
Leandro Trossard suffered an injury last weekend and won't travel to Lithuania, while Milot Rashica is doubtful. Recent signing Dusan Vlahovic is expected to lead the attack.
Leandro Trossard suffered an injury last weekend and won't travel to Lithuania, while Milot Rashica is doubtful. Recent signing Dusan Vlahovic is expected to lead the attack.