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HJK Helsinki vs Red Star Belgrade Predictions

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HJK Helsinki
Red Star Belgrade

odds when tipped

odds when tipped

HJK Helsinki vs Red Star Belgrade Predictions

Ahead of their trip to Serbia, HJK would’ve been hoping to bag themselves an away-goal, though they were unable to get on the score-sheet at Rajko Mitic Stadium. Having failed to score in defeat a week ago, the Finnish hosts now have it all to do.

Losing 2-0 doesn’t exactly suggest that HJK were battered, though such a score-line is slightly misleading. HJK may not have received the heaviest of beatings, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were simply terrible. Defensively, they conceded 18 shots, five of which hit the target, while they also shipped 1.89 expected goals.

However, their defending, or rather lack of, wasn’t the real problem. The main issues for HJK in Serbia came in the attacking third, as they simply could not get going offensively. In a total of 97 minutes of football, the Finnish side registered just three shots on target, none of which hit the target, while they posted a measly 0.03 expected goals for. Such numbers are nothing short of embarrassing, especially since HJK had 45% possession.

Wednesday’s hosts will fancy themselves to do better on home soil, but it’s not as if they created the most positive impression when beating lowly HB at home during the previous round.

For Crvena, who’re more commonly known in Britain as Red Star Belgrade, there were several positives to be taken last week. Going forward, they were both proactive and creative, while they did an excellent job of restricting their opponents, not that they needed to do much in that respect.

Not only did Red Star outclass HJK a week ago, but they also turned in a positive performance away from home during the previous round. On that occasion, they failed to beat Suduva, though they did keep a clean sheet in drawing 0-0, while in giving away just 0.38 expected goals, they looked nice and sturdy. A mere repeat of that effort would suffice at Sonera Stadium.

In the betting, Crvena are unsurprisingly favourites, though backing the visitors to register a second win against HJK isn’t the best option. Instead, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ looks good. HJK offered next to nothing offensively in the first leg, while the fact that they posted 1.76 expected goals for against much weaker opposition at home in the previous round doesn’t exactly bode well.

Red Star will fancy themselves to stop the hosts, much as they did last week, while they don’t need to take risks offensively, as was the case when they drew 0-0 away from home during the previous round.

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