Despite the fact that APOEL hold a 1-0 lead going into this second leg, some bookmakers are not leaning very heavily towards the Cypriot side as they travel to Luxembourg.
F91 Dudelange won the Luxembourg National Division title on goal difference for the second season running last term to ensure passage to the Champions League. Despite the fact they are clearly a European minnow, they have done remarkably well to keep themselves in this tie by losing by just the one goal margin to APOEL last week.
Dino Toppmoller’s side were sublime in both attack and defence last season with 68 goals scored and just 14 conceded in 26 league matches – the second-best and best records respectively. Additionally, Dudelange were in great goalscoring form at the back end of the last campaign, scoring over 2.5 goals in all but one of their final eight matches.
Dudelange obviously have a good domestic home record given their stature in Luxeumbourg. However, they have struggled on their own patch in the Champions League in the last few seasons with no wins at home since 2012.
It can be very easy to dismiss APOEL as they only come from a minor European league, however, they have done very well in the Champions League in the past, including getting to the quarter finals in 2012. They will of course have liked a bigger margin going into this match but they will still feel they can get the job done on Wednesday night.
With Thrylos being the dominant side in Cyprus, it is no surprise that they had the best offensive and defensive records in the Cypriot First Division last term with 62 Goals For and just 16 Goals Against in 26 outings. Unfortunately for them though, they struggle to transfer this into European football. This is particularly the case in the final third with APOEL scoring over 1.5 goals in just one of their last five Champions League games.
Mario Been’s men struggled a bit on their travels towards the back end of last season with three losses in their final six outings. Furthermore, in the Champions League, they have won just one away match in their last 18 attempts, including matches in that great run in the 2011/12 season. Having said that, they undoubtedly have a stronger squad than Dudelange.
This horrendous away form in the Champions League is probably the reason why APOEL are only priced at Evens for this match. However, I think Thrylos have enough Champions League experience to make sure they get the job done and so, with this in mind, Evens seems a good price for punters.