FC Flora Tallinn vs Hapoel Beer Sheva Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Though they’re a big side domestically, Flora have failed to make the grade when previously attempting to qualify for the Champions League. Tuesday’s Estonian hosts come into this fixture having won just one of their previous 12 UCL qualifying matches, while they’ve lost eight of the other 11. Against a visiting team who’ve beaten better opposition in this competition in recent times, Jürgen Henn’s men could struggle.

Unlike the hosts, though they too have never made it through to the group stages of the Champions League, Hapoel have tended to do well during the early qualifying stages. Be’er Sheva have won seven of their 13 UCL qualifying matches, while they’ve lost just three of the other six. Last season, the Israeli outfit made it all the way to the final round before having their hearts broken by Maribor, who proceeded to the competition proper thanks to the away-goal ruling.

Despite being the visitors for this first-leg, Hapoel are red-hot favourites and with good reason. Their pedigree in this competition is far greater than Flora’s, while they’ve also had the experience of competing in the Europa League in recent years, something which cannot be said about the hosts.

Given their record in the qualifying rounds of this competition over the last few years, it would be a big disappointment if the visitors failed to justify favouritism on this occasion. Last year, the Israeli’s managed to get past the likes of Honved and Ludogorets, two teams who’re both stronger than Tuesdays opponents, on route to the final play-off, scoring an impressive eight goals in the process, while Flora went out to Gibraltar side Lincoln Red Imps when last seen in this competition back in 2016.

When attempting to qualify for the Champions League last season it was abundantly clear that Be’er Sheva were intent on adopting an attacking style, a style which very nearly paid off. Barak Bakhar’s men scored at least twice both home and away in this round last year, while they also notched twice against a Ludogorets side who really are a cut above Tuesday’s Estonian opponents.

In comparison, Flora, who in recent years have unsurprisingly attempted to qualify for this competition far less than Be’er Sheva, have struggled whenever they’ve tried to qualify for the UCL. They’ve never been past the first round, while they’ve conceded at least twice in 75% of their qualifying matches since 2012.

Considering how they fared at this stage of qualifying last season, the visitors are expected to return home for the second-leg, having secured themselves a comfy lead. Backing ‘Hapoel Be’er Sheva to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’, a bet that landed in four of their six matches in UCL qualifying last season, is the way to make this fixture pay.