Trabzonspor (Tur) vs FC Copenhagen (Den) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2022-08-23 19:00.
Trabzonspor broke a 38-year Turkish Süper Lig drought last season and can make their first UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage appearance since 2011/12 if they can overturn a 2-1 loss from the play-off first leg. However, that result made it nine losses across their last 12 continental games (W1, D2, L9) so Europe is proving to be tough terrain for the Turks.
After a 5-2 loss in the domestic league last weekend, Trabzonspor have little time to recalibrate their UCL hopes. Three of those five goals were actually conceded in the last ten minutes so cutting off late mistakes could be vital in landing a first home win in the competition since 2005 – particularly as they have also conceded goals after the 70th minute in four of their last five encounters in UEFA competition!
Copenhagen are looking to end a drought themselves by chasing a first UCL group stage berth since 2016/17 and would have been disappointed at conceding late in the first-leg which will likely have fuelled Trabzonspor hopes. However, the Danes then followed up that game with a 3-0 league win, marking the fifth time across their last six competitive matches that they scored at least two goals, and a repeat performance here would likely see them complete their quest for the UCL proper.
A repeat would also mark an improvement on their historical scoring form in this competition, having netted just three times across their last four UCL away games. Although Copenhagen’s recent record in Europe suggests a goal blitz might not be surprising as they averaged 2.88 goals per game across their last eight European trips, so we are likely to see a Copenhagen side arrive at the Medical Park Arena full of confidence.
Players to watch: Trabzonspor’s Abdülkadir Ömür is still looking for a career-first European goal but with a goal and assist across his last three matches, he might feel confident of breaking that duck. Equally optimistic of an impactful performance is Viktor Claesson, who scored three of Copenhagen's last five goals including the first-leg opener.
Hot streak: Copenhagen have scored first in their last six matches, as well as their last five away matches.