Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Europa League match
The excellent start to the season for the upgraded Beşiktaş could destroy Lugano's confidence. The Turkish giants have everything in place for a decisive away win, with their potent attack led by Ciro Immobile set to deliver the desired result.
Lugano
In this season's European competitions, Lugano have already suffered defeat to a top Turkish club: Fenerbahçe beat them twice in the Champions League qualifiers at the end of July (4:3 and 2:1). It appears the Swiss side was unprepared for the battle for a spot in the group stage of the European competitions: in their second leg match against Partizan, they allowed 14 shots over 120 minutes. Lugano will be without their main defender Albian Hajdari (suspension), so the key player in their defence will be newcomer Antonios Papadopoulos, whose career peak was two goals scored against Borussia.
Beşiktaş
Since the beginning of August, Beşiktaş has secured three consecutive victories with an aggregate score of 11:2. Immobile began his stint in Turkey with a brace against Galatasaray in the Super Cup (5:0), and he added two more goals in the last round against Antalyaspor (4:2). Over the weekend, the team had nine shots on target compared to their opponent's three—Beşiktaş consistently creates and ruthlessly converts chances.
Lugano - Beşiktaş Prediction
The teams met not long ago in the group stage of the Europa Conference League—Lugano conceded a total of four goals to Beşiktaş in those matches (3:2 and 0:2). The Turkish club has a strong chance of victory.
