Skendija Tetovo vs Sheriff Tiraspol Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Macedonian side Skendija, who’re involved in UCL qualifying for just the second time ever came through the last round, though it was very much a tale of two sides, as they ended up scraping through after seemingly doing more than enough in the first-leg. Against Welsh side TNS, Skendija came out on top by no less than five goals to nil in the first-leg, though they almost saw their work undone when they went away and lost 4-0 in the second-leg. In this tie, manager Qatip Osmani will be hoping for more of the same at home and less of the same on the road.

In contrast, Sheriff lost away from home in the previous round, though they quickly made amends by winning 3-0 on home soil, a score-line which saw them go through 4-2 on aggregate. Having got the better of Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi, Tuesday’s visitors will surely fancy their chances of making headway against a Skendija side who lost 4-0 against TNS last time out.

When beating TNS by five goals to nil on home soil, although they were the better side overall, the score-line did flatter the Macedonians somewhat. They offered a threat going forward, though if that match was to be replayed ten times, they probably wouldn’t score five goals again, while they never looked secure at the back. If defensive frailties were hinted at during the first-leg, then they very much came to the fore in the second-leg.

Sheriff, who’re the more experienced side when it comes to featuring in Champions League qualifying, offered a significant threat when facing Torpedo away in the last round, so much so that they ought to have scored more than the one goal than they did. Moreover, the Moldovan outfit looked a threat on the counter, a tactic which could serve them well in this fixture. Against TNS, Skendija got forward and left space in behind at regular intervals, their Welsh opponents simply couldn’t take advantage, though Sheriff may just do so.

Having got their tails up by hitting three against Torpedo in the second-leg, Tuesday’s visitors are backed to thrive offensively in this fixture. Against an open-looking Skendija team, ‘Sheriff to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ stands out. You’d have to go back to 2016, to find the last time that Sheriff scored twice on the road in qualifying, though their attacking efforts in the last round, coupled with the poor defensive efforts of their hosts, suggest that they can make plenty of offensive headway on Tuesday night.