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Besiktas welcome Kauno Zalgiris to Tupras Stadyumu on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League playoff-round tie, with both sides aiming to take a decisive step towards the league phase.
The Turkish giants have reached the final qualifying stage after eliminating Hradec Kralove, while the visitors dropped into the Europa League after a heavy Champions League qualifying defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Besiktas vs. Kauno Zalgiris key stats
- Besiktas have kept four consecutive clean sheets in European qualifying this season.
- Besiktas have won both of their European home matches during this qualifying campaign.
- Kauno Zalgiris have conceded 10 goals across their last four matches, with seven coming in European qualifiers.
- Besiktas extended their clean sheet run to the Super Lig season, making it five clean sheets in as many games this season.
Besiktas vs. Kauno Zalgiris preview: Black Eagles target first-leg advantage
Besiktas vs. Kauno Zalgiris — Tale of the Tape
| Besiktas | vs | Kauno Zalgiris |
|---|---|---|
| 4th in Turkish Super Lig | Position | 2nd in A Lyga |
| 3 | Points | 38 |
| 1 | Goals For | 41 |
| 0 | Goals Against | 16 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 11 |
| 4th | Home / Away Rank | 5th |
Besiktas have reached the Europa League playoff round with their defensive structure continuing to provide the foundation for Vincenzo Italiano's early work at the club.
The Turkish side eliminated Hradec Kralove 2-0 on aggregate, following a 1-0 victory in the Czech Republic with another disciplined performance in Istanbul. Vaclav Cerny's goal settled the second leg, while Besiktas completed the tie without conceding in either match.
Their defensive record now stretches across four consecutive European qualifying matches without conceding, having previously defeated Midtjylland 3-0 on aggregate.
That form has also carried into the domestic season. Besiktas opened their Super Lig campaign with a 1-0 victory over Eyupspor, meaning Italiano's side have begun the new campaign with a series of controlled performances rather than relying on high-scoring victories.
The Italian coach has also been backed heavily in the transfer market, with Alexander Nubel, Kassoum Ouattara, Leandro Trossard and Dusan Vlahovic among the notable arrivals. The additional quality gives Italiano considerably more options as Besiktas attempt to return to the Europa League league phase.
Home advantage should further strengthen their position on Thursday, particularly because Besiktas have already beaten Midtjylland and Hradec Kralove in Istanbul during this qualifying campaign.
Kauno Zalgiris arrive with considerably less momentum after their Champions League qualifying campaign ended in emphatic fashion against Dinamo Zagreb.
Zeljko Sopic's side had previously eliminated Drita and KI Klaksvik to reach the third qualifying round, but they were unable to cope with Dinamo's attacking quality and suffered a 5-0 defeat in Croatia before losing 2-1 at home.
The nine goals conceded across those two matches exposed the defensive problems that Sopic must address before facing another opponent with considerably greater resources.
Kauno did manage to respond between the two Dinamo matches by defeating Hegelmann 2-0, while their most recent A Lyga fixture ended in a 1-1 draw against Transinvest.
Those results have kept the Lithuanian champions firmly in contention domestically, with Kauno sitting second in the A Lyga and just one point behind the leaders.
Their European record this season also deserves some recognition because reaching this stage required them to overcome Drita and KI Klaksvik. However, the Dinamo Zagreb tie demonstrated how difficult it becomes for Kauno when they face opponents capable of sustaining pressure and punishing defensive errors.
Sopic will therefore need his players to remain compact and disciplined in Istanbul if they are to avoid another heavy European defeat. Kauno's priority should be to remain within touching distance of Besiktas before attempting to use home advantage in next week's return fixture.
Besiktas vs. Kauno Zalgiris form guide & betting tips
| Besiktas | vs | Kauno Zalgiris |
|---|---|---|
W
W
W
W
W
|
Form | W
L
W
L
D
|
| 6 | Goals For | 5 |
| 0 | Goals Against | 8 |
W
W
W
|
Europa League qualifiers | N/A |
Whispers predicts: Besiktas 2-0 Kauno Zalgiris
Kauno have enough European experience to make the contest competitive for periods, but Besiktas have considerably greater individual quality and have already shown that they can control European ties without allowing opponents to create sustained pressure.
We predict Besiktas to win, while Besiktas to win to nil is also a great option. A controlled home victory looks more likely than another high-scoring European performance, making Under 3.5 goals another attractive selection.
*Odds unavailable at the time of writing
> Match result – Besiktas to win | Likelihood: Very Likely
> Under 3.5 goals | Likelihood: Likely
> Besiktas to win to nil | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score – Besiktas 2-0 Kauno Zalgiris | Likelihood: Outsider