AEK Larnaca vs FC Zurich Predictions

Cypriot club AEK Larnaca welcome Swiss side FC Zürich to the AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis on Thursday in the opening fixture of the UEFA Europa League Group A. The game is a fascinating looking battle between two domestic cup winners from last season.

AEK Larnaca finished 4^th in the Cypriot First Division in 2017/18, though they went all the way in the Cup, eventually beating league champions APOEL in the Semi Finals and league runners up Apollon in the Final.

Similarly, Zürich could only manage a 4^th place finish in the Swiss Super League last term, though they capped their campaign with a fine 2-1 win over Champions League combatants Young Boys in the Final of the Schweizer Pokal, despite playing the last half an hour with ten men.

Thursday’s game then, is a real clash between teams who know how to win on the big occasion. However, we think the Cypriots incredible home form gives them a slight edge on Thursday.

AEK Larnaca lost just one of their eighteen home matches in the Cypriot First Division in 2017/18. Incredibly, the Kitrinoprasinoi have been beaten just once in their last thirty-four competitive games on their own patch. The AEK Arena has become a veritable fortress over the past couple of years.

New manager Andoni Iraola, who took the reins in June, has so far managed to maintain that superb home record. AEK have won three out of three home matches under his instruction to date, scoring twelve goals and keeping three clean sheets in the process.

Spanish Manager Andoni Iraola’s squad has a real Iberian flavour to it with no fewer than nine of his compatriots in the AEK ranks. With the help of those technically proficient Spaniards, the Cypriots came through three rounds of Europa League pre-qualifiers, winning five of the six games in total, conceding just once along the way.

In total, AEK bring a record of one defeat in twelve competitive outings into this week’s game. Zürich on the other hand have won just two of their last six. The Swiss side have only managed to keep five clean sheets in their last twenty-one competitive games stretching back to last season.

Zürich take their leaky defence to Cyprus on Thursday to face a AEK Larnca side who have averaged 3.3 goals per game over their last eighteen home fixtures. The Kitrinoprasinoi’s home record is difficult to ignore and we’re tipping them to make their advantage on home soil count again this week.

Zürich have won only four of their last twelve on the road, and two of those fixtures were against lower league opposition in the Cup. For those reasons, we expect a home win in Thursday’s contest.

We expect goals in Cyprus this week too – in thirteen of AEK Larnaca’s last fifteen home matches in all competitions, over 2.5 goals were scored. We’re tipping that pattern to continue this week. Our correct score prediction forecasts a 3-1 win for the hosts.