The New Saints – Linfield

Linfield does not look weaker than the champion of Wales

New Saints play at home against Linfield on Tuesday, July 5. The match in the first qualifying round of the Champions League draws attention with rather strange odds. The Welsh are quoted below 2.00, although there is not much to suggest that. The team won the home championship in dominating fashion, beating their nearest rival by 21 points. However, there are no stars or international players in the squad. The combined value of all the players is estimated at two million euros. In comparison, Linfield are worth more when you take all the players. Importantly, no one from the best team in Wales is even called up to the national team. The players who are not in demand in the lower leagues in England play for the club. There is no big talent in the squad either. The average age of the main squad is around 27 years old. It is not the case that a young and bright team can surprise in the Champions League. New Saints play in European competitions almost every year, but there are no significant achievements. They usually only manage to beat weaker opponents from dwarf states. Last season's campaign was historically successful. The Welsh got past the Icelandic Glentoran and Lithuanian Kaunas in the Conference League qualifiers. Moreover, they managed to beat Czech Republic's Viktoria in one of the matches. It came down to a penalty shoot-out in which the Czechs avoided relegation. At the same time, one more or less successful European Cup campaign should hardly suggest that this will be the case every season from now on. Linfield also won their home league by a margin. The team's squad is largely made up of local players. There are no players with English passports. There are no young stars either. The emphasis is on players aged 25 to 30. In recent European competition seasons, Linfield have seldom won. There have been departures from clubs in Malta, Lithuania and Luxembourg. At the same time, they managed to break down the team from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last Conference League. You can't expect miracles from Linfield, but closing down and playing second number one against an average opponent is a very realistic task. Linfield rarely lose by a wide margin. The last time that happened was back in 2018. An odds of more than 4.00 on the visitors is too much. We can assume that Linfield will be able to get a draw. Both teams will play their first match after a long break. The Welsh are unlikely to have an all-out superiority in freshness. In terms of class, the opponents are roughly equal. New Saints are overrated due to last season's successful campaign.