APOEL vs Botev Plovdiv Prediction: There will be no sensation

The return of APOEL to the European competition hasn't been easy, with the Cypriot side achieving only a nil draw against Bulgarian side Botev. The bookmakers believe that the team from Nicosia will win at home.

APOEL has lost ground even in their home league. Last season they were only third, behind AEK Larnaca and Apollon. There were several changes to the squad during the summer. Simone Scuffet was replaced by another experienced goalkeeper in the Italian Serie A, Vid Belec. Lucas Martín Villafanez, Marios Elia, and Danny Blum, who have played in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga, are set to strengthen the attacking line-up. One of the leaders of APOEL, Giorgi Kvilitaia, won't play against Botev due to injury, and in the last championship, he scored ten goals and became the top scorer on the team.

Before the European Cup started, they had four friendlies, 2 of which were against Bulgarian clubs. The encounters against CSKA and Botev ended in zero draws, after which APOEL beat the Macedonian GP club (2:0) and drew with AEK Larnaca (2:2). In the game with the vice-champions of Cyprus, the team from Nicosia took the lead twice. Still, the opponents were able to get back into the game.

Botev won the bronze medal in the last Bulgarian championship, which allowed them to qualify for the European competitions. Before the Conference League, the club strengthened by acquiring Roy Herman and Martin Sekulic, with the Croatian forward having already scored two goals in the current national championship. Previously, Sekulic played for Rudes, scoring 13 goals in the last edition of the Croatian First League.

In the current championship in Bulgaria, Botev has big problems. The club lost three games and finished last place in the standings. In the previous game, they lost at home to Arda (0:2).

APOEL looked better even than Botev, and the Bulgarian club has a lot of problems this season. At home against Arda, the team from Plovdiv looked decent in some places, and they can count on at least an away goal, but it will not be enough to reach the next round of the Conference League.

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