Besiktas vs St Patrick’s Athletic Prediction: Hosts on cruise control

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was said to be a manager under some pressure prior to the first leg of this Uefa Conference League qualifier in Dublin, but it scarcely looked that way. The Norwegian was at ease with the press, and his Besiktas side were unwavering in dismissing the challenge of St Patrick's Athletic at Tallaght Stadium in a 4-1 win.

England international Tammy Abraham netted a hat-trick as the Turkish giants proved too good for the League of Ireland outfit, with the tie all but wrapped up ahead of the second leg, which takes place on Thursday (19:00 BST) at the Tupras Stadium. Below are my Besiktas vs St Patrick's Athletic predictions, alongside team news and match odds.

Team News

Loanee Abraham made quite the impact on his third appearance for Besiktas with that treble in Dublin and is likely to lead the line again. Former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is recovering from a ligament injury and misses out.

Today's Football Fixtures

St Pats remain without midfielder Romal Palmer (hamstring), but boss Stephen Kenny will hope first-leg goalscorer Simon Power and Tottenham Hotspur-bound teenager Mason Melia can cause some problems for the hosts.

Besiktas vs St Patrick's Athletic Odds

Besiktas outclassed their opponents in a 4-1 first-leg win in Dublin, and the Turkish outfit are priced at 1/9 to record another win on their own patch. St Patrick's Athletic are trading at 16/1, or a 5.9% chance, for an unlikely success, with the draw set at 15/2.

Both teams to score is available at 11/10, while a repeat 4-1 success for Besiktas trades at 12/1.

Home team over 3.5 goals @ 5/4

Solskjaer was portrayed as a manager under some pressure going into the first leg, but it didn't show.

His side had lost four on the trot, two pre-season friendlies and both legs of their Europa League qualifier against Shakhtar Donetsk, but they made short work of St Pats.

Joao Mario had them in front inside eight minutes, and Abraham doubled the lead before the quarter-hour.

They dominated possession with 67 per cent and had 16 goal attempts compared to just four from the hosts.

St Pats needed a stoppage-time goal to avoid a two-goal loss against Estonian minnows Kalju in their previous away trip, and Kenny's side are going to find it hard to stay in this contest based on the evidence of last week.

Besiktas scored four first-half goals in Dublin, and it could have been more as Portugal international Joao Mario and Orkun Kokcu both missed good chances in the first half, and sub Kartal Yilmaz was twice thwarted by Joseph Anang late on.

They can at least match their four-goal salvo from Dublin.

Besiktas to win 4-0 @ 15/2

St Pats were caught in the headlights in the first leg, the contest being over by half-time.

Kenny's side responded with a 3-0 weekend win over Sligo Rovers that leaves them sixth in the League of Ireland Premier Division standings.

A similar outcome to the first leg appears likely here.

The Dubliners got on the scoresheet last time, surviving a lengthy VAR check, but they are likely to come up dry in Istanbul, and the Black Eagles should once more fashion plenty of scoring chances, with Solskjaer sure to demand another solid win ahead of their Super Lig opener against Eyupspor on Sunday.

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