Ludogorets Razgrad will host Servette in the Round of 16 of the Europa Conference League. The tie remained in the balance as the teams from Switzerland and Bulgaria attempted to make an uncommon appearance in the latter stages of a continental championship after their first leg finished in a goalless draw.
Preview (Ludogorets Razgrad vs. Servette)
Even though Ludogorets are a common sight in Europe, they haven’t managed to get past the round of 16. They earned a respectable goalless draw in Switzerland last week. They are now one home victory away from accomplishing that feat. Ludogorets extending their unbeaten streak to four games in this competition. They lost on the road to Fenerbahce and Nordsjaelland by 10 goals before the end of October. Ludogorets has made an incredible comeback to get to this point. They achieved three victories at home and seven goals scored without a goal allowed. Georgi Dermendzhiev’s team advanced through the group stage as clear favorites.
This is especially true after they overcame Cherno More, the defending champions, 3-1 on Monday night. They take the top spot in the domestic rankings. In Servette’s opinion, their last successful run at the top of a European competition dates back to the 2001–02 UEFA Cup. On that score, even after holding Roma to a draw in the first half of the season. Elimination from the Europa League with a third-place finish might wind up being a godsend.
Servette was still the underdog to advance, even though they were in second place in the Swiss top division. Rene Weiler’s team hasn’t played well lately. After a goalless draw in the first leg, they suffered a 2-1 loss to Yverdon Sport, then over the weekend, they overcame Lugano by the same score.
Team News
A week earlier, Bernard Tekpetey was forced from the pitch due to a knock during the last moments, but he bounced back to play 86 minutes against Cherno More. The squad from that match may resemble the one announced on Thursday despite the short turnaround, as winger Caio Vidal was left out after starting the first leg. For their weekend match, Weiler made several changes to the Servette starting lineup, moving custodian Jeremy Frick to the bench.
For this match, the 30-year-old should be back in the mix, although Dereck Kutesa and Alexandris Antunes will be fighting for their places in the last third. Beneguz Bolla, a former player for Wolverhampton Wanderers who has made 27 appearances this season, would remain among the replacements in this scenario.
Ludogorets Razgrad 2-1 Servette
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