Hradec Kralove and Besiktas return to action in the Europa League qualifiers when they lock horns at Malsovicka Arena in the first leg of the third round on Thursday. Both sides eased through the second qualifying round, with David Horejs’ men brushing aside Tromso, while the Turkish giants edged out Midtjylland.
Hradec Kralove kicked off their Europa League qualifying campaign in style back in July when they secured a 4-1 aggregate victory over Tromso, beating the Norwegian outfit 1-0 at the Alfheim Stadium in the first leg, one week before claiming a more comfortable 3-1 home victory in the return leg.
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However, Horejs’ side saw their 100% record this season come to an end at the weekend when they played out a goalless draw with Bohemians in the second round of the Czech 1st. League campaign.
With their last sojourn in Europe coming in the 1960-61 campaign, when they reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup, Hradec are out to secure a first-ever Europa League appearance.
Meanwhile, Besiktas secured a 1-0 victory over Midtjylland in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie on July 23, one week before picking up a 2-0 second-leg victory in Denmark to win the tie 3-0 on aggregate.
This was a welcomed result for newly-appointed head coach Vincenzo Italiano, particularly coming off the back of an unconvincing campaign in pre-season, where they managed just two wins from six friendly matches.
Besiktas are aiming for a second consecutive Europa League appearance, having suffered a group-stage exit last season, when they managed just nine points from eight games to finish 28th in the table.
Hradec Kralove vs Besiktas Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Hradec Kralove and Besiktas, who will both be looking to begin their rivalry on a positive note.
- Besiktas have lost five of their last eight Europa League matches (including qualifiers), with victories coming against Athletic Club and Midtjylland.
- Hradec have won each of their last seven competitive home matches, scoring 14 goals and keeping three clean sheets since a 3-0 loss against Viktoria Plzen back in March.
- Besiktas are unbeaten in eight of their 10 competitive away games in 2026, picking up five wins and three draws since the turn of the year.
Hradec Kralove vs Besiktas Prediction
Hradec Kralove have flown out of the blocks this season and will be backing themselves against a Besiktas side who boast quality players scattered across all departments of the pitch.
We predict the Turkish giants will show their class in this one and do just enough to come away with a vital first-leg advantage.
Prediction: Hradec Kralove 1-2 Besiktas
Hradec Kralove vs Besiktas Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result – Besiktas to win
Tip 2: First to score – Besiktas (The visitors have opened the scoring in five of their last six games)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards – No (There have been fewer than five bookings in seven of Besiktas’ last eight matches)
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli