Lugano take on the visitors Besiktas in the first leg of the final round of UEFA Europa League qualification. The match will be played on Thursday, August 22nd at Stockhorn Arena (Thun).
Lugano tries to maintain last season's level. The "Bianconeri" don't often make a significant impact. However, last season they fought a fierce battle with Servette, ultimately surpassing them in the race for the runner-up spot. Unfortunately, they lost in the Swiss Cup final in a long penalty shootout. As a result, Croci-Torti's men, who also started well in their domestic league, entered the Champions League qualifiers, where they were immediately paired with one of the toughest opponents, Fenerbahçe. They fought hard, scoring both at home and in Istanbul, even leading at times – but Mourinho had a trump card in the form of Džeko. In the end, the "Canaries" won both legs, sending Lugano to the Europa League. There, the Swiss side defeated Partizan 1-0 in Belgrade, but perhaps they relaxed too much. They only managed to secure a draw at home in extra time and progressed further.
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Beşiktaş had a tough time last season – with coaching changes, the exclusion of certain players, especially foreigners, and ultimately finishing in 6th place – a failure... But one compensated by winning the Turkish Cup at the last moment. Over the summer, much changed, including the arrival of van Bronckhorst as head coach and the signing of Immobile. The result was an ideal debut for Gio, with a 5-0 thrashing of Galatasaray in the Super Cup, including a pair of goals from Ciro. They also started the league well with a solid 2-0 away win against Samsunspor. They managed to win against Antalyaspor too.
In 2023, the Turks and the Swiss played in the group stage of the Conference League and exchanged away victories. The Turks are considered fairly clear favorites, even away from home. However, they are not perfect in defense either – bet on "total goals over 2.5" in this match.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
