Will Dudelange defend their narrow lead?
The participants in the group stages of the international competitions must be determined by the end of August. A total of three qualifying rounds are still outstanding, and this week the second legs of the second (of four) rounds will be played. Twelve matches are on the agenda in the battle for the top flight. In Luxembourg, it comes to the duel between the then Red Bull Salzburg fright Düdelingen and Pjunik Jerewan from Armenia.
Exactly ten years ago, Luxembourg’s representatives in Austria became famous when Austrian industry leaders Red Bull Salzburg disgraced themselves to the bone and were beaten by Düdelingen. Ten years later, Dudelange remains a no-name team that can surprise time and again. In the knockout clash with the champions from Armenia, the home side are favourites after their 1-0 win in the first leg. Odds of 2.50 are offered on a home win for Dudelange against Pjunik Yerevan, while odds of 3.00 are currently offered on a win for the visitors.
The winner of this clash will face Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade in the third round of Champions League qualifying and would thus already have their participation in the Conference League group stage in the bag. The loser, on the other hand, will move on to the Europa League qualifiers to face the loser between Zalgiris Vilnius and Malmö FF. First, however, the second leg is still on the agenda. This will kick off at the Jos Nosbaum Stadium on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Düdelingen – Statistics & current form
The red and yellow from Düdelingen are the absolute measure of all things in Luxembourg football. In the 21st century, the club has won 16 of the 22 championships and also celebrated eight triumphs in the domestic cup competition. Thus, Dudelange regularly participates in international matches, but for years it was not worth mentioning. This changed ten years ago when the Bullen experienced their Waterloo at the underdog. But it wasn’t the biggest success for Düdelingen, as the underdog sensationally qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
Düdelingen with three competitive match wins
After missing out on the league title in the 2020/21 season (two points behind Fola Esch), their international adventure was short-lived last season. They were beaten twice by Bohemian Dublin in the Conference League qualifiers. Subsequently, the team of the Portuguese head coach Fangueiro advanced again to the number one in the country. In the final standings, Düdelingen had a 21-4-5 record and were five points ahead.
With this result, the Luxembourgers return to the Champions League qualifiers. The team is still in the middle of its preparations. The domestic championship does not start until 7 August. But Düdelingen are in strong early form and secured their progress in the first qualifying round with two wins against KF Tirana (Albanian champions). Together with last week’s first-leg win, Dudelange have a clean sheet with three wins in three matches.
While goal festivals are not uncommon at national level, the team operates much more defensively at international level. In the nominal 3-4-1-2 system, especially the two track players in the four-man midfield are often assigned defensive tasks. Especially with the advantage, the alignment will be a bit more defensive. Both teams are limited in their forward play. Thus, in the return match between Dudelange and Pjunik Yerevan, the forecast is again for a game with few goals. Under 2.5 is just as much an option as the riskier under 1.5.
Predicted line-up of Düdelingen:
Fox – Skenderovic, Diouf, da Costa – Kirch, Morren, Bojic, Ouassiero – Sinani – Hassan, Hadji
Last matches played by Dudelange:
Champions League Qualifier
19/07/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 0 – 1 F91 Dudelange
13/07/2022 – KF Tirana 1 – 2 F91 Düdelingen
07/07/2022 – F91 Dudelange 1 – 0 KF Tirana
Cup
28/05/2022 – F91 Dudelange 2 – 3 Racing Luxembourg
National Division
22/05/2022 – FC Wiltz 71 0 – 3 F91 Dudelange
Pjunik Yerevan – Statistics & current form
Pjunik Yerevan, as Armenia’s current title holders, are not only the equivalent of Düdelingen, but the team from the capital is also the record champion at home. They have 15 championships and eight cup victories to their name. Accordingly, there are many international appearances in the database, but unlike Düdelingen, they have not yet scored a major coup on the international stage.
Last week’s first leg against the Luxembourg champions was their 63rd international match, and the 1-0 defeat was defeat number 32 for Pjunik Yerevan, meaning they have lost more than half of their matches. But there has been at least a small upward trend in recent years, with the Eastern Europeans making it past two rounds of Europa League qualifying in both 2018/19 and 2019/20 – a feat never achieved before.
Surprise success against CFR Cluj
In the first round of the current qualifiers, the Armenian champions managed a surprising progress, because in the duel with CFR Cluj from Romania, Pjunik Yerevan was considered a clear underdog. After a goalless draw at home, the team fell behind early in the second leg and was on the brink of elimination. But centre-back Zoran Gajic was the hero twice. In minute 89, he scored the equaliser to force extra time. The team fell behind again before Gajic scored again one minute before the end of the game. In the penalty shoot-out, the underdogs held their nerve.
Whoever advances away in Cluj definitely has the quality to win in Luxembourg. Between Düdelingen and Pjunik Jerewan, 3 odds are definitely worth a try – with moderate stakes. However, if this is too risky for you, you should stick to betting on a few goals. After all, both teams are not exactly convincing with their offensive performances and playfulness.
Predicted line-up of Pjunik Yerevan:
Yurchenko – Juninho, Dasyan, Kovalenko, Gajic, Gonzalez – Otubanjo, Harutyunyan, Cociuc, Davidyan – Juricic
Last matches played by Pjunik Yerevan:
Champions League Qualifier
19/07/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 0 – 1 F91 Düdelingen
14/07/2022 – CFR Cluj (3)2 – 2(4) Pjunik Erewan
05/07/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 0 – 0 CFR Cluj
Premier League
28/05/2022 – Alashkert FC 1 – 1 Pjunik Erewan
24/05/2022 – Pjunik Erewan 1 – 0 Ararat Erewan
Düdelingen – Pjunik Yerevan Direct comparison / H2H balance
From a match point of view, not much went right for either team in last week’s first leg. Although there were goal attempts on both sides, hardly any ball went on the housing. So it took a resting ball – in this case a penalty – to break the spell. Düdelange striker Samir Hadji held his nerve and secured the away win for the Luxembourg champions.
While it was Pjunik Yerevan’s first match against a team from Luxembourg, Düdelingen’s good experience with opponents from Armenia was confirmed. In 2019/20, a penalty shootout win over Ararat-Armenia in the Europa League play-offs earned Dudelange a sensational place in the EL group stage.
Düdelingen – Pjunik Yerevan Tip
After the abolition of the away goals rule, Düdelingen’s 1-0 win is not worth quite as much as in the past. However, the Luxembourgian champions still have the advantage on their side and will try to defend this lead with a very defensive approach. The second leg will certainly not be a treat for fans of attacking football. Fighting and commitment are likely to dominate the action on the green pitch. There should not be many scoring opportunities, so the top tip between Dudelange and Pjunik Yerevan is that neither team will score.
In the three-way market (or the DNB market), the tendency would probably go a little in the direction of the visitors. Both sides are littered with no-names, but the Cluj success has certainly made an impression. However, there is even more value to be found between Düdelingen and Pjunik Jerewan in the forecast on the under 1.5. Bets on a maximum of one goal are always associated with risk, but the starting position and the previous performances of both teams make for a positive expectation despite 2.62 betting odds.
