Ludogorets vs Dinamo Batumi Prediction: Bulgarians to kick off campaign with win

Ludogorets Razgrad are probably one of the more familiar names featuring in the 2024/25 Champions League first qualifying round after reaching the group stage of the competition on two previous occasions this century, in 2014/15 and 2016/17.

The reigning Bulgarian First League champions host Georgian outfit Dinamo Batumi, whose only previous appearance in the Champions League ended at this stage in the 2022/23 campaign, at the Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad on Wednesday (19:00), and you can build up to the first-leg clash by checking out my Ludogorets vs Dinamo Batumi prediction below.

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These two sides are at very different stages of the season, with Dinamo midway through their league campaign having played 18 games and a further two in the Super Cup, the latest of which was last week, while Ludogorets haven’t played a competitive match since May 26.

The Bulgarians participated in four friendlies last month in a bid to regain fitness ahead of Wednesday’s first leg, beating Primorje (5-0), Slovan Bratislava (1-0), St. Gallen (2-0) and Universitatea Craiova (4-1).

Ivaylo Chochev, who scored just once in the league last season, found the net in his side’s final three friendlies and will hope his pre-season form leads to more starts in 2024/25, beginning on Wednesday.

Last season’s second-top scorer, Kwadwo Duah, looks likely to be absent after his involvement at Euro 2024 with Switzerland, who only exited the competition after a penalty shootout defeat to England last Saturday.

Dinamo announced the signing of Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo Silva last week following his departure from Tondela, but it remains to be seen whether he will be thrown straight into action on Wednesday.

Vladimer Mamuchashvili is Dinamo’s top scorer in the league this season with five goals and looks certain to start in midweek.

Ludogorets Razgrad vs Dinamo Batumi Odds

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Ludogrets are firm favourites to take a lead into next Wednesday’s second leg in Batumi with odds of 1/5 giving the Bulgarians an implied win probability of 83.3%, while the visitors can be backed at 10/1, or a 9.1% chance.

The draw is available at 9/2, both teams to score at 6/5 and over 2.5 goals at 8/13.

Ludogorets to win to nil @ 5/6

Ludogorets are much more experienced in European competition than Dinamo, whose two top-tier Georgian league titles have both arrived in the last three years.

It’s not gone swimmingly so far this season for Dinamo, who are fourth in the Georgian First League at the halfway point, eight points behind leaders Dila Gori, and they’ve won just three of their last 13 games across league and cup, failing to score in three of them.

Ludogorets romped to a 13th consecutive Bulgarian First League title earlier this year, losing just once at home, and won all three of their Europe Conference League group matches at the Huvepharma Area, beating Spartak Trnava (4-0), Norsdjaelland (1-0) and quarter-finalists Fenerbahce (2-0) to finish second behind the Turkish giants, and they were only knocked out of the competition in the play-off round 1-0 on aggregate by Servette.

Three clean sheets at home in last season’s Conference League points to a resilient outfit, and it will take a lot for Dinamo to breach their defence on Wednesday.

Highest scoring half – second half @ 21/20

While I think that Ludogorets will come out on top and take a lead to Georgia next week, I don’t anticipate it being an easy match for the Bulgarians, mainly because it will be their first competitive game of the season.

Naturally, the Eagles could start slowly, particularly with their visitors looking to batten down the hatches and take any sort of positive result back to Batumi.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a goalless first half on Wednesday – at most a single goal – before the hosts come into their own in the second period and show their superiority.

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