Football Bet of the Day: Turkish delight for Trabzonspor

The penultimate round of Europa League qualification sees two sides looking to return to the continental stage after a period of absence as Trabzonspor take on Rapid Wien for the first leg in Turkey on Thursday (18:00).

The match also features as my football bet of the day, which you can check out below.

The Black Sea Storm cruised past Slovakian outfit Ruzomberok 3-0 on aggregate and are looking to appear in the group stages of a UEFA competition for the first time since finishing third in Group H of the 2022/23 Europa League - before losing 2-1 on aggregate to Basel in the Conference League play-offs.

The Green-Whites were even more dominant in the last round as they put eight past Polish side Wisla over two legs to seal their place in this round, and the Austrians are hoping that their recent good form will help steer them towards a first group appearance since the 2021/22 Europa League season.

Trabzonspor vs Rapid Wien Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Trabzonspor vs Rapid Wien page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Trabzonspor have only played two competitive matches so far this season, both of which came in the previous round, but head coach Abdullah Avci will be happy with the start that his side has made to the campaign.

Strikes from former Aston Villa forward Trezeguet, young talent Cihan Canak and star of Romania’s Euro 2024 run Denis Dragus sealed the Black Sea Storm’s spot in this round, and the Turkish side are yet to concede a goal this season.

However, this defensive strength will undoubtedly be put to the test in this encounter on Thursday when they face Rapid Wien, who finished fourth in the Austrian Bundesliga last season.

The Green-Whites have won all four of their opening four competitive matches in all competitions this season, scoring 11 goals and conceding just twice.

Football Odds

They may have lost last season’s top goal scorer Marco Grull to Werder Bremen in the summer transfer window, but the rest of the squad seem to be picking up the slack in front of goal, none more so than Guido Burgstaller, who netted a hat-trick for the Austrians in the last round.

The Turks are not without their own dangermen in front of goal, despite top scorer Paul Onuachu returning to Southampton after a successful loan spell, with Trezeguet, Enis Bardhi and Enis Destan scoring a combined 26 league goals last season.

Goals rained down thick and fast at Papara Park last season, with five of Trabzonspor’s final seven home matches of the season across all competitions seeing a minimum of four goals scored.

With Rapid Wien scoring exactly twice in each of their two away games this season, they should be able to contribute to another goal-heavy affair, and as the net is used to bulging in Trabzon, a winner in the over 3.5 goals market looks a tempting prospect.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 50% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

You can read all our latest Football Bets of the Day at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.