Just a little over a couple of weeks after Manchester City beat Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final we have the 2023-24 campaign kicking off in Iceland, with Andorran champions Atletic Club d’Escaldes and Montenegrin champions Buducnost Podgorica taking the field first in a four-team tournament.
Bookmaker William Hill is clearly giving the edge to Buducnost, offering odds at 1.65 for the Montenegrins to win in 90 minutes and at 1.33 for them to qualify for the final. The odds are at 3.25 for Atletic Club d’Escaldes to get through and at 5.00 for a full-time victory for them.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 26th, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
This is going to be a historic match for L’Atlètic as it’s the first-ever Champions League outing for the team. The club has made a huge jump in the pecking order in Andorran football, winning the first league championship in club history last season after finishing only fourth in 2021-22.
FC Santa Coloma used to dominate the Andorran Primera Divisio, but Inter d’Escaldes has burst onto the scene in recent years, winning three consecutive league titles, and it was Atletic d’Escaldes’ time to shine last season. French forward Guillaume Lopez played a big part in the success by scoring 15 goals and the team conceded just 19 goals in 28 games. L’Atlètic definitely needs to be at its very best defensively again to have a chance in Tuesday’s tough match-up.
Buducnost became champions for a record sixth time in Montenegro last term. There have also been a number of second-place finishes for the club as Buducnost has cemented its status as the top team in Montenegrin football. However, there’s been very little continental success for the side.
The Montenegrin international team has boasted some outstanding talent throughout the years in Stevan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic, but the local club sides tend to struggle and even Buducnost has a hard time being competitive in Europe. The team’s overall record in UEFA competitions reads 19 wins, 12 draws, and 24 defeats.
Failing to get past the preliminary round in the Champions League would be a further blow for Montenegrin club football and this makes Tuesday’s clash hugely important for Buducnost, which suffered an aggregate 7-1 loss to Finnish champs HJK in the first qualifying round when the club last played Champions League football two years ago.
