Besiktas hosts Sporting in round 3 of the Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Tuesday, October 19th at Vodafone Park (Istanbul)
Besiktas suffered two defeats in two rounds of the Champions League group stage. The Black Eagles lost to Borussia Dortmund (1-2) and Ajax (2-0). They have not won in four consecutive Champions League matches (two draws and two defeats). In the group stage of this tournament, the Turkish team crossed paths with the representatives of the Portuguese Primeira Liga three times. And the Black Eagles did not lose in the last four matches (three draws and one victory). Besiktas has not scored more than one goal in seven out of nine previous home games in the Champions League.
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Like Besiktas, Sporting suffered two defeats in two previous rounds. Therefore, it is important for the team to earn three points in the upcoming mid-weekend in order not to lose the chances of advancing to the 1/16 finals of the Europa League. The Lions cannot boast of successful away performances in the Champions League. Nine out of eleven previous away matches ended in defeats. In the last 15 away matches, the Green-Whites have never been able to keep a clean sheet. The last time the team did it was back in 2008! I cannot ignore the fact that Sporting conceded only four goals in eight rounds in the current championship of Portugal.
Judging by the bookmakers’ coefficients, Sporting is the favorite of the upcoming game. But is everything so unambiguous in this pair? Personally, I'm not sure. In my opinion, Besiktas and Sporting are teams of the same level. The only thing that can make a difference is the field factor. And everyone knows very well that Turkish teams perform well at their native stadiums. In the Portuguese championship, Sporting conceded little (only four goals). Definitely, the hosts will have to try to score. I would venture to suggest that we won’t see a large number of goals scored in the upcoming match.
Prediction for the match: Under 2.5 goals scored
