Thatsagoal.comHaugesund vs PSV predictions and betting tips for this Europa League Qualifier on Thursday 8th August. PSV dropped out of the Champions League Qualifying in the second round, can they put that disappointment behind them in Norway?
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Haugesund finished fourth in the Eliteserien last season, and their achievements have allowed them the opportunity to qualify for this seasons Europa League. They’ve already come through two rounds, but this will be much tougher against Dutch giants PSV. The Norwegians swept aside Cliftonville in an unfussy manor, winning 6-1 on aggregate. They came up against Sturm Graz in the previous round, and put themselves in an excellent position by keeping a clean sheet at the Haugesund Stadion, and taking a 2-0 lead to Austria. They were 2-1 in Graz, but it was enough to see them through to this stage. Last season, their home form was crucial to their success, and they won 10 of their 15 matches here. This time around, they haven’t been quite as convincing. Perhaps distracted by their European commitments, they’ve been victorious in just 25% of their matches here, although their record of 2-4-2 does suggest that they remain difficult to beat. Only Valerenga and high-flying Molde have won here so far this season, and PSV will not find it easy.
Read More: See of this week’s Europa League betting tips and predictions
It’s been a disastrous start to the campaign for PSV. They crashed out of the Champions League at the first hurdle, defeated by Basel over two legs. They showed defensive vulnerabilities in both matches, and were caught out time and time against by the Swiss side. They failed to register in the Dutch Super Cup against Ajax, and they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly promoted FC Twente at the weekend. Mark Van Bommel must pick his troops up after that disappointment, and find a way to strike the right balance. They host ADO Den Haag at the weekend, which is a nice winnable fixture, and this means that they can put full concentration into this Thursday night fixture. However, they are extremely hard to trust, and with quotes of 4/6 available on the Eredivisie outfit, it may be worth opposing them. Bruma looks a decent addition, whilst Donyell Malen has been in good pre-season form, but they look short of cutting edge, and that is a worry.
PSV are odds-on for success in this game, but there is no guarantee that they will take a lead back to Eindhoven. There is every chance that they will click into gear here, but at the prices, I just simply have to side with the Norwegians. Two years ago, they lost to Osijek at this stage of the competition, and they’ve failed to find the net in each of their last five games in this competition. They do traditionally struggle to get motoring at the beginning of the campaign, and have been the subject of many July/August shocks in the Europa League. Haugesund are being ever-so-slightly backed in at the time of writing, which is always a good sign, and you can take the hosts on the +1 handicap at a decent price of 11/8 here. They will be looking to take advantage of this first leg being held in Haugesund, and take a decent sized lead back to the Netherlands.
Haugesund don’t have many players who are prolific, and they tend to share the goals around. However, Ibrahima Kone has netted in three of his last four matches at the Haugesund Stadion, and he could be the man to fire them in front again here. In fact, all five of his goals have come in front of his own fans this season, and at just over 4/1, he could be worth backing once again.
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