Thursday 21/08/2014, 19:00, Europa League Qualifiers, Elfsborg vs Rio Ave

Elfsborg vs Rio Ave Preview

Elfsborg is currently fighting a war on two fronts, but one battle seems to be lost already, because they are poorly positioned to challenge the leaders. While their chances of winning the domestic championship are not looking that good, the Swedish side is in good position to advance to the Europa League groups. They need to win the opening game against Rio Ave and then hope for a positive turn of events in the second leg that will be played one week from now in Portugal.

Elfsborg vs Rio Ave Odds

At Ladbrokes

Elfsborg 2.10, Draw 3.50, Rio Ave 3.50

Elfsborg vs Rio Ave Tips

Elfsborg's ambitions of winning the Swedish championship were culled by Helsingborg last week, when the hosts defeated them by four goals to one. That can easily be regarded as the tipping point, because now they have a deficit of eight points and the leaders are playing their best football.
On the bright side, Elfsborg don't have any injured or suspended players ahead of this match and they have a slight edge over the Portuguese side.

The hosts are very likely to feature the same starting formation that played against Kalmar, with Nilsson and Prondell upfront. They won the match without allowing a goal and the most impressive part is that both goals were scored by midfielders.

Lundqvist and Larsson scored and the latter is the man to watch for tonight, because despite playing a rather defensive role he has scored five times the season. This means that he is tied for the lead with Prondell for the title of the most prolific goal scorer and is expected to give Rio Ave a run for its money.

The team from Portugal is clearly unimpressed by what the visitors might throw at them, because over the last three weeks they didn't allow a single goal. They already defeated a team in the Europa League Qualifiers and came painfully close of winning the Portuguese Super Cup against Benfica.

Key Facts

• The visitors have the better defensive team and they will be trying not to allow a goal on the road.
• This is the first time the two teams met, but Elfsborg played more games in the current Europa League campaign and five distinct players scored.

Elfsborg vs Rio Ave Prediction

There is not tremendous value in the odds offered by Ladbrokes for the hosts to win and punters might be tempted to bet on fewer than 2.5 goals to be scored. While this is a decent option, it is worth taking a leap of faith with Elfsborg as long as the odds hold at 2.10, because the hosts are likely to claim a narrow margin victory.

Bet: Elfsborg @ 2.10 with Ladbrokes