Rakow take on the visitors Flora in the first leg of 1/8-finals in UEFA Champions League qualification playoffs. The match will be played on Tuesday, June 11th at Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków (Częstochowa).
Polish Raków, as the reigning champion of Poland, starts in the first round of the Champions League qualification. The first match of the two-legged confrontation will take place in the Polish city of Częstochowa. Since the season has not yet started in Poland, we can only judge the form of the red and blues based on friendly matches. Raków played three friendlies as part of their preseason preparation, winning two of them and losing one. One victory was achieved in a match against the modest Polish club Puszcza (4-0), and the second against Romanian Universitatea Cluj (2-1). However, the Polish team lost a match against their last year's rival, Prague's Slavia (2-1). It is worth noting that it was the players of Slavia who prevented Raków from reaching the group stage of the Conference League last season.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Flora are a fourteen-time champion of Estonia and, accordingly, the winner of the Estonian league in the previous season. Currently, the Estonian Meistriliiga is in full swing, and Flora is leading it with a 2-point advantage over their closest pursuer. The Estonians have lost only one match out of the last ten played, and that was in the final of the Estonian Cup. The most significant achievement of Flora on the international stage was in the 2021/22 season when they managed to reach the group stage of the Conference League, but they finished fourth in their group. Before that, all of Flora's achievements in European competitions were limited to a maximum of the third qualifying round.
The Polish league is probably stronger than the Estonian league, but I'm not convinced that the difference between the teams is so significant that Raków should be considered a clear favorite in the home match. Flora is a frequent participant in European qualification matches, unlike Raków, as the Polish team has only reached a high level in the last three seasons. Moreover, Flora, unlike their opponent, is currently in better playing form, so I doubt that the Polish team will achieve a resounding victory here. My prediction: Flora +2 handicap (Flora to win or lose by a maximum of 2 goals).
Prediction for the match: Flora to win with +2.0 handicap.
