Following a surprising 2-0 first-leg loss in the first qualifying round of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League season, Bulgarian champion Ludogorets Razgrad needs to produce a big comeback effort against Kosovo’s FC Ballkani to remain in contention in the competition.
Bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 2.10 for Ludogorets to score in both halves Wednesday. The odds are at 9.00 for Ballkani to get a goal in each half.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 17th, 6:00 P.M. (EST)
Ludogorets has been the most dominant force in Bulgarian football for 10 years and the team has regularly made it into the group stages of various European competitions so going down at the first hurdle this term would be a massive shock for the club.
The multi-goal loss in the first game has put Ludogorets in a tough spot, but the team will have home advantage in the second leg and certainly has a lot of room for improvement after struggling to create chances in last week’s game. Ballkani dominated possession and limited Ludogorets to only three shots on target.
Ludogorets has failed to win only six home games across all competitions since the start of 2022, picking rivals apart with ease in the local league and also competing well in Europe. The team’s Europa League campaign last season included a famous 2-1 home win against AS Roma.
Ballkani could be feeling quite comfortable holding a two-goal lead but the job clearly isn’t done yet. Ludogorets is full of foreign talent and ready to push from start to finish in front of their fans.
This is only the second-ever European campaign for Ballkani. Last season, the team ended up playing in the Conference League group stage after getting knocked out from the Champions League by Zalgiris of Lithuania. The lack of experience could prove to be a major disadvantage in Wednesday’s match.
The visitors will likely take a conservative approach and try to frustrate Ludogorets again as much as they can. Meanwhile, Albion Rrahmani will be leading the team’s attack, looking to take advantage of any chances that might come his way. The 22-year-old was kept at bay by Ludogorets in the opening leg, but he is a rising star in Kosovan football and crushed it last season with a 30-goal effort across all competitions.
Ludogorets has lost its last season’s top scorer in Igor Thiago, but local star Kiril Despodov remains at the club and the likes of Matías Tissera and Bernard Tekpetey have also proven themselves as very productive players who are capable of creating a match-winning moment.
