Betting on goals in Kufstein: prediction for Swansea City vs Holstein Kiel
Swansea
Holstein Kiel
The friendly match between Swansea City and Holstein Kiel will take place on Saturday in the Austrian town of Kufstein at the Kufstein Arena. For the Welsh side, this is their first game of the pre-season, while Holstein Kiel have already found their rhythm through earlier friendlies. I'm backing a bet on goals in this clash.
Swansea: first pre-season test for the Swans
The Swans couldn't mount a genuine promotion push back to the English top flight last season, despite their strong finish to the campaign. In their final five rounds, Swansea picked up three wins and suffered just one defeat, but that was only enough for 11th place in the league table.
The team ended up nine points adrift of the playoff spots. Under Vítor Matos, the Swans are fighting to sign New Zealand international winger Elijah Just. At the same time, Swansea have sold midfielder Ethan Galbraith to Stoke City. Portuguese midfielder Gonçalo Franco is sidelined for 10-12 weeks after ankle ligament surgery.
Holstein Kiel: the Storks are already in full flight
Holstein Kiel kicked off their pre-season with matches against Danish sides: after losing to Fredericia (1-3), Marcel Rapp's men confidently beat SønderjyskE (2-1).
The Storks really hit their stride in mid-July, thrashing Saudi club Al-Ahli 4-1 - a performance that showcased clinical finishing and impressive attacking chemistry. The high tempo and scoring in their tune-up matches set a positive tone ahead of this next test.
Match facts and head-to-head
- Both teams to score has landed in Swansea's last four matches
- Both teams to score has also come through in Holstein Kiel's last five games
- These teams have never faced each other before
Goals look the best bet: prediction for Swansea City vs Holstein Kiel
In matches like this, picking a winner is a risky call - one side remains a mystery, since it's their first pre-season outing. Given the recent stats for both teams, backing 'Both teams to score' at odds of 1.55 looks like the best value play.
