Lugano vs Fenerbahce Prediction: Visitors to take the advantage

Lugano host Fenerbahce for the first leg of their Champions League second round qualifier at Stockhorn Arena, home of FC Thun, on Tuesday (19:30). The Swiss side got their league campaign underway at the weekend and they got off to a positive start, defeating Grasshoppers 2-1.

They will hope to carry that momentum into this tough tie against Turkish side Fenerbahce, now managed by the vastly experienced and successful Jose Mourinho. Read on for my Lugano vs Fenerbahce prediction, accompanied by match odds and team news.

Lugano vs Fenerbahce Odds

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Lugano are 16/5 to win this first leg, which gives them a theoretical chance of 23.8%. Fenerbahce are valued at 7/10, giving them an implied probability of 58.8%. The draw can be backed at 13/5 (27.8%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 8/11 and over 2.5 goals is marketed at the same odds.

Football Odds

Team News

The hosts should not make too many changes from the side that won their Swiss Super League opener at the weekend, but they are still missing a couple of players. Forward Shkelqim Vladi is out injured, while Switzerland international Renato Steffen has been granted extended leave following his participation at Euro 2024.

New signing Daniel Dos Santos will be hoping to feature in midfield after making his debut at the weekend.

Mourinho has already been getting to work on the transfer front with Fenerbahce, with no less than six faces having arrived already. They are Caglar Soyuncu, Allan Saint-Maximin, Oguz Aydin, Rade Krunic, Cenk Tosun and Levent Mercan. All of them will be looking to cement their place in Mourinho's team both domestically and in Europe - if they can navigate their way through these qualifiers.

We could be set to see former Premier League stars Edin Dzeko and Fred feature in the Fenerbahce side for this one.

Fenerbahce and both teams to score @ 12/5

In terms of quality, Fenerbahce certainly outweigh their opponents. Some of the pedigree Mourinho has in his team, including former Premier League stars and those with plenty of European experience, should be too much for Lugano to handle in this first leg.

Managed by the born-winner Mourinho, who is the first and only coach to have won all three major European trophies on offer, Fenerbahce should have no issues with taking the advantage in this tie in Switzerland.

The attacking quality in itself wouldn't look out of place in the group stage of the Champions League, let alone a second round qualifier. I think the Turkish club will have some fun in Switzerland for this clash and I fancy them to score a few goals.

However, I do see Lugano scoring. They are one of the best sides in Switzerland and their attacking output has been strong for a few years now. I think they can cause Mourinho's side some problems and I think they will get themselves on to the scoresheet.

Over 3.5 goals @ 7/4

As you can guess from reading that last selection, I am expecting quite a few goals in this contest, with the majority coming from the visiting team. And rightly so because of the talent they have on offer. Dzeko netted a brace in their most recent friendly against Hull City, while Fred and Sebastian Szymanski were also on the scoresheet.

They defeated the Tigers 5-1, and while it was only a friendly, it will have served as a good exercise in preparation for this qualifier. They have plenty of options in depth to score a few goals against Lugano, and the Swiss side have players of their own who can hurt the opposition.

I do think over 3.5 goals is worth backing here. You've got two teams that like to attack and they each have the players who can deliver in the final third. We should be in for a cracker on Tuesday night.

Offers

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