Are the Faroese good for another surprise?
It was certainly the biggest surprise in the 1st qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, when Faroese football dwarf Klaksvik managed to bowl out highly decorated Hungarian champions Ferencvaros Budapest, of all teams, 3-0 after first and second legs.
Swedish champions BK Haecken, who are anything but European heavyweights, will now be warned accordingly. Nevertheless, bettors see the greater value in betting on a win for the visitors in Klaksvik vs Haecken.
This is a bold assessment in our eyes, as BK Haecken have won just eleven of their 28 international matches so far (seven draws, ten defeats). Moreover, the Swedes have failed on many occasions to win against opponents like Aberdeen FC or Cork City. Due to the high prices, the forecast for Klaksvik against Haecken is therefore very interesting, whether the Faroese champions can continue their recent highs.
The kickers from the Faroe Islands certainly bring momentum with them. Klaksvik are unbeaten in 13 consecutive competitive matches (12 wins, one draw) and have kept a clean sheet in eight of those 13 games – including the first and second legs against Ferencvaros Budapest in the Champions League 1st Qualifying Round. This compares to BK Haecken, who only lost their dress rehearsal 1-0 at Värnamo in the Allsvenskan at the weekend.
Due to the high prices for tip 1, the ratio of risk, probability of occurrence and possibility of winning is correct for the supposed underdog bet, which we therefore recommend for this interesting duel from a mathematical point of view alone.
Klaksvik – Statistics & current form
Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag has existed since August 1904 and is one of the absolute flagships of the country. Last autumn, KI won the national championship of the Faroe Islands for the 20th time and was thus once again allowed to compete in the Champions League Quali.
In the 2020/21 season, the footballers from the centre of the Faroe Islands had a strong run in the qualifiers for the top flight. After first eliminating Slovan Bratislava, they eventually made it all the way to the Europa League play-offs, where they were eliminated by Dundalk.
Unbeaten in 13 consecutive competitive games
Three years later, Klaksvik could now build on that strong run. The course for this has already been set by surprisingly surviving the 1st qualifying round. After the goalless draw at home, all the experts expected Ferencvaros to win the return match in Budapest by a clear margin.
Instead, however, AI not only defeated the Hungarian champions in their stadium, but literally rolled over them by every trick in the book. In the end, the result was a brilliant 3-0 away win that kept the Faroese unbeaten in their 13th consecutive competitive match (twelve wins, one draw).
Won all 16 league games at national level in 2023
It is worth noting that Klaksvik not only went without conceding a goal in the two qualifiers against Ferencvaros, but also kept a clean sheet in eight of their last 13 competitive matches. It is all the more surprising that the odds are so clearly against the Faroese champions in Klaksvik against Haecken.
At least coach Magne Hoseth’s side can concentrate 100 per cent on this 2nd qualifying round. Not only is there still a summer break in the Faroese league, but with 16 wins from 16 games, KI are already leading the national table by twelve points over Tórshavn.
Predicted line-up of Klaksvik:
Johansson – Joensen – Forren – Faerö – Petersen – Danielsen – Andreasen – Pavlovic – Kronberg – Frederiksberg – Kassi
Haecken – Statistics & current form
Bollklubben Haecken is based in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. The club, which won the Swedish national championship for the first time in its history last autumn, was founded in 1940.
Real success, however, has only come to Getingarna in recent years. In addition to last autumn’s national championship, the yellow-and-blacks secured their third national cup win this year, following 2016 and 2019.
Solid 5-1 win in 1st qualifying round
Internationally, on the other hand, there hasn’t been too much for the team that debuted in the UEFA Cup in 2007/08. The footballers from Gothenburg have never reached a European group stage before. The last time they reached the Conference League Qualifiers was in 2021/22, when they lost 5-1 away to Aberdeen FC in the first leg.
In 2016/17, the Swedes were also defeated by Cork City in the Europa League Qualifiers. So everyone was relieved that Welsh champions The New Saints FC were no obstacle at all in the first qualifying round for the Champions League. Haecken won 5:1 after the first and second legs.
On Saturday with 0:1 away defeat in dress rehearsal
According to the bookmakers, the bet on a victory for Getingarna in Klaksvik against Haecken is now also very popular. It should be noted, however, that the momentum of coach Per-Mathias Högmo’s side suffered a setback at the weekend.
After five consecutive games without defeat (four wins, one draw), the yellow-and-blacks suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Värnamo in the Allsvenskan, where BK Haecken are currently second, four points behind Elfsborg. The Gothenburg side have thus made a mess of their dress rehearsal.
Predicted Haecken line-up:
Abrahamsson – Lund – Hovland – Sandberg – Lunddal – Si. Gustafson – Sa. Gustafson – Jensen – Sana – Sadiq – Trpcevski
Klaksvik – Haecken Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 0 – 0 – 0
Never before has there been a European match between the two clubs. Thus, there is no head to head data available yet that could affect the forecast for Klaksvik vs Haecken.
Klaksvik – Haecken Tip
When it comes to Klaksvik vs Haecken, the betting odds are swinging in the direction of the Swedish champions. However, the Getingarna are far from being an international heavyweight. In recent years, the Gothenburg side have already failed to qualify for UEFA competitions against comparatively small clubs such as Cork City and Aberdeen FC. The underdog betting in this Faroese-Swedish duel is therefore very interesting.
Few people seriously expected the Faroese champions to progress in the 1st qualifying round. Haecken is now warned. Nevertheless, the Swedes will have to find footballing answers against the hard-to-play football dwarf and come to terms with the unwelcome role as favourites.
