Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Petrocub
Match Time & Date:
30/07/2024
19:00
Prediction: 1-1
APOEL
A place in the Champions League third qualifying round will be at stake when Petrocub and APOEL go head to head at Stadionul Zimbru on Tuesday evening. Petrocub suffered a 1-0 loss to APOEL in the first leg, but it has to be noted that they failed to turn their dominance into goals. Midfielder Ion Bors serves a one-game ban due to the accumulation of yellow cards, while there are no fresh injury worries in the home team.
The Cypriotes, on the other hand, are eager to defend their slim lead in the return leg. As APOEL are likely to adopt a defence-minded approach in the reverse fixture, we believe that there is a big value in betting on under 2.5 goals. David Gallego is unlikely to make changes to the team that won the first leg, with the Spanish tactician sticking to the 4-3-3 formation.
Highlighted Team (APOEL):
APOEL are a Cypriot football club based in Nicosia. The Thrylos were founded on 8 November, 1926 and they won their first league trophy in 1932, defeating AEL Limassol 4-0 in the final. Over the years APOEL have established themselves as one of the best teams in Cyprus and they won their 25th domestic trophy in 2016.
The Thrylos participated in the 2014/2015 Champions League group stages, but they failed to make life difficult for the likes of PSG, Ajax and Barcelona, picking up no more than one point from possible 18. APOEL share a great rivalry with Omonia and the meeting between two teams is well known as the Nicosia derby.
A number of foreign footballers played for APOEL and it has to be noted that the likes of Daniel Florea, Dudu Biton, Marcos Tavares, Paul Okon, Dragisa Binic, Nenad Milosavljevic, Paulo Costa, Tiago Gomes, Alexandros Tziolis and Fernando Cavenaghi were all part of the team in the past. The colour of APOEL’s home kits is yellow.
