This is St. Patrick’s Athletic’s biggest test of the season, and they’ll look to make full use of home advantage to challenge the favourites. For Beşiktaş, this match is a chance to salvage some pride after crashing out of Europa League qualifying and to begin rebuilding trust with their fans.
The hosts have successfully come through two rounds of qualifiers, seeing off Hegelmann (1:0, 2:0) and Nõmme Kalju (1:0, 2:2). St. Patrick’s Athletic have shown real defensive solidity, conceding just two goals across their last eight matches. They’ve been particularly effective at home, winning both of their previous European ties in Dublin by a 1:0 scoreline. Another bonus is their match fitness — the Irish league is in full swing, and the players are in peak condition.
Beşiktaş failed to get past Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League qualifiers, losing both legs by an aggregate score of 2:6. They have been heavily criticised for their defensive frailty — 12 goals conceded in their last six matches, including friendlies. Beşiktaş have managed just one win in four warm-up games, and that came against lowly SKN St. Pölten. The poor run has knocked the team’s confidence, and pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjær is mounting, with Nuri Şahin already tipped as a possible replacement.
St. Patrick’s Athletic look capable of keeping the tie alive on home soil — either losing narrowly or even nicking a result. Backing the home team with a +1.5 handicap looks like a sensible approach.
