Larne - Iberia 1999: The battle for the UEFA Europa League continues - August 4, 2026
In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifying round, Larne will face Iberia 1999. The match will take place on Tuesday, August 4, kicking off at 21:00 CET, and I am offering a betting tip for it.
Larne - Iberia 1999: Match preview
Larne won the title last season, their third in the last four campaigns. This earned them a place in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. The team initially overcame Tre Fiori 3-1, but then suffered a heavy 0-9 defeat to Crvena Zvezda. Before that, they played in the Northern Ireland Super Cup and won the title. Now they turn their attention to UEFA Europa League qualifying. After that, they will begin their domestic league campaign.
Iberia 1999 have won the Georgian league title in each of the last two seasons. In addition, the team recently lost in the Georgian Super Cup and have advanced to the round of 16 of the Georgian Cup. In UEFA Champions League qualifying, Iberia 1999 overcame Flora 5-4 on aggregate before facing Slovan Bratislava, losing 1-3. The Georgian side are also currently competing in their domestic league, with the season already underway. Iberia are top of the table and have a two-point lead over second place.
Match facts and H2H
- Both teams began their campaigns in UEFA Champions League qualifying but were eliminated in the second round.
- Larne have lost their last two matches by a heavy 0-9 scoreline.
- Iberia 1999 have conceded in six consecutive matches, while Larne have conceded in their last three games.
- This will be the first-ever meeting between these teams.
Expected lineups
- Larne: Ferguson; Cosgrove, Bent, Ridley, Donnelly; Doherty, Gallagher, Graham; McEneff, Gibson, Lusty
- Iberia 1999: Makaridze; Kobuladze, Amisulashvili, Selimovic, Jinjolava; Dadiani, Kardava, Kutsia; Sikharulashvili, Nachkebia, Cafe
Prediction
The first leg is extremely important for both teams, and I think it will provide plenty of intrigue, but in my view, this will not be a particularly high-scoring encounter. I am offering a bet on under 2.5 total goals at odds of 1.70.
