Thursday 21/08/2014, 19:00, Europa League Qualifiers, Karabukspor vs St Etienne

Karabukspor vs St Etienne Preview

St Etienne is tied for the lead with Bordeaux in the French first division, in an interesting turn of events that saw reigning champions and the runners-up dropping points. They now try to reach another milestone in 2014, more precisely to make the Europa League groups, at the expense of Turkish side Karabukspor. St Etienne will play the first leg on the road, but even though they are particularly strong in front of their fans, recently they were quite successful away from home.

Karabukspor vs St Etienne Odds

At Ladbrokes

Karabukspor 3.75, Draw 3.50, St Etienne 2.00

Karabukspor vs St Etienne Tips

St Etienne is traditionally regarded as a defensive team which finds a way to prevent opponents from scoring goals, but a lot has changed under manager Galtier. He uses an interesting starting formation that looks like a 5-4-1, when in fact the midfielders frequently join the striker. Opponents have a hard time defending against this unusual setup and so far the strategy works silky smooth.

Traveling to Turkey for a game against a rising team such as Karabukspor is not particularly easy, especially with St Etienne missing from European competitions over the last couple of years. On the bright side, they have the better squad on paper and will not settle for a scoreless draw, while hoping to secure qualification in the second leg.

Erdinc is going to spearhead the offensive, which is quite interesting given the fact that he is a Turkish player and will be competing on a stadium packed by fellow Turks. He scored three goals in the last two games and will be a real danger for Karabukspor, a team that has a hard time coming from behind.

The hosts will try to exercise constant pressure on St Etienne, hoping to contain them in their own half and hope that Kumbela will score the winning goal. He was the only striker in the previous match played against Rosenborg but he failed to score, with the midfielder saving the day. Sow can cause the French side plenty of headaches, but overall the visitors have the better midfield.

Key Facts

• Not surprisingly, this is the first time that the two teams meet, because Karabukspor hasn't played in European competitions before.
• St Etienne wasn't very successful in friendly games, but won both matches played in the first French division, while scoring a total of five goals.

Karabukspor vs St Etienne Prediction

Karabukspor made a giant leap forward over the last couple of years, but they still lack the experience necessary to make the group stage of Europa League. They are very likely to succumb under pressure and that's why it is worth backing St Etienne to win on the road at even odds with Ladbrokes.

Bet: St Etienne @ 2.00 with Ladbrokes