Crusaders vs Wolverhampton | Betting Tip, Prediction & Odds (31.07.2019)
The second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League will close down this Thursday. Wolves travel to Belfast after a 2-0 victory over Crusaders in the first leg, and the English Premier League side is a huge favourite to earn another victory and clinch the spot in the third round.
Crusaders – Wolves
- 2019-20 UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round
- Seaview, Belfast, UK
- Thursday 1st August
- 20:00 UK Time
Crusaders FC News & Form
The Crues eliminated B36 Torshavn 5-2 on aggregate in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, winning 2-0 in the first leg at home and 3-2 in the Faroe Islands. Winger Paul Heatley led the Crues, scoring a couple of goals, while attacking midfielder Philip Lowry scored a goal and made one dish.
Crusaders have won nine of their last 12 games at home along with two losses and a draw, while seven of those 12 contests had at least three goals in the total. However, all their rivals in that span are far away from Wolves’ quality, so the Crues will have a mountain to climb this Thursday evening.
Wolverhampton News & Form
The Wanderers are still waiting for the Premier League to start, and their qualifying games in the Europa League are certainly a solid warm-up. They played a couple of friendly matches before the last week’s duel with Crusaders, defeating Newcastle 4-0 and earning a nil-nil draw against the Premier League champs Manchester City.
The manager Nuno Espirito Santo can count on all his players for the second leg in Belfast. Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, and Leander Dendoncker all were in the starting eleven against Crusaders, while Raul Jimenez came off the bench. Jimenez was the Wanderers’ top goalscorer last season with 17 goals in 44 apps in all competitions.
Crusaders vs Wolves Head to Head
These two teams will face off against each other for the second time, and Wolves had an easy job in the first leg last Thursday. They took 29 shots towards Crusaders’ keeper, allowing just one shot in a return while keeping the ball in possession for 66% of the time. Diogo Jota scored the opener in the 37th minute of the first half, and Ruben Vinagre made it 2-0 in the stoppage time of the second half.
Betting Odds and Predictions: Crusaders v Wanderers
The bookmakers are well aware of the Wanderers’ strength, so you can pick the visitors to win the second leg at 1/8 odds with Bet365 that offers 7/1 odds on a draw and 14/1 odds on Crusaders. Likewise, Wolves are 4/11 favourites to win by two or more goals with Betway, while Ladbrokes offers 10/11 odds on the visitors to cover a two-goal handicap.
When it comes to the totals, Coral offers 1/2 odds on the over 2.5 goals and 6/4 odds on the under. The bookies won’t be surprised with four or more goals in the total, and the price is 6/5 with Ladbrokes.
Our Crusaders FC vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Betting Tip
The Wanderers could score much more than a couple of goals in the first leg, and I think they will do it on this one in Belfast. The hosts will defend with all ten players, as well as they did last Thursday when they were pretty lucky to avoid a tough loss.
Wolves will control the ball in the middle of the park and should create plenty of scoring opportunities. Therefore, I suggest you take the visitors to cover a one-goal handicap at 4/11 odds with Betway. If you want greater wages, take Wolves to cover a two-goal handicap at 10/11 with Ladbrokes.