Wales’ Newtown suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Irish club Dundalk at Oriel Park a week ago. Now, The Welsh club must find some magic at home to overcome the deficit against Dundalk. The Lilywhites will fancy their chances of finishing off the job at Latham Park on Tuesday night. Dundalk are heavy favourites to claim a second win after their success a week ago.
Newtown are in the close season in the Wales Premier Division. Their lack of competitive matches showed against Dundalk as the Irish side ran riot. Midfielder Michael Duffy opened the scoring in the 33rd minute and forward David McMillan doubled the score just six minutes later. Will Patching add a third just after the hour-mark and South Korean international Jeongwoo Han scored a fourth in second half stoppage-time.
Dundalk are in the middle of the Irish Premier Division season. Although the Lilywhites are in seventh place, it appears like they are focused on reaching deep in the Europa Conference League. Vinny Perth’s team are unbeaten in four of their last six games but lost versus Shamrock Rovers 3-1 the last time out.
The winner of the tie between Newtown and Dundalk will face off with either Estonia’s FCI Levadia or Gilbraltor’s St. Joseph’s. If Dundalk can finish off Newtown, they will fancy their chances in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round. It should be noted that the “big boys” of the tournament will enter the competition in the third qualifying round.
Newtown vs Dundalk Betting Odds
Dundalk kicked off their Ireland Premier Division season in late March. Since then, they have played 19 matches in all competitions. The Lilywhites fell 3-1 to Shamrock Rovers on July 2, but have since claimed their Europa Conference League first leg against Newtown.
Perth’s team are seventh in the Ireland Premier Division. They have taken 24 points from 60 this season. Dundalk are 14 points off of first place Shamrock Rovers. Perth will hope the side can pull closer in the table to finish in the European qualification places. However, Perth is likely to put a lot of the club’s eggs in the Europa Conference League basket.
Dundalk go into the match on Tuesday night as the bookies’ favourite at best odds of 2/5. They smashed Newtown in the first leg without much trouble and could put several goals past home side this time around. Newtown are long-shots to win the match at betting odds 5/1. Manager Chris Hughes could use Tuesday’s game as a chance to rotate the side and give minutes to other players. Being that Newtown are in the close season, they should struggle once more against a Dundalk team that are in the middle of the campaign.
A draw would be a significant result for Newtown although it would not help them get through to the quarterfinals. The clubs are at betting odds of 10/3 to draw at the end of full-time on Tuesday night at Latham Park.
Newtown vs Dundalk Betting Team News
Dundalk are led in goals by striker Patrick Hoban. The striker is the team’s main dangerman but didn’t get on the scoresheet in the first leg. Forward David McMillan, who scored in the first leg, has bagged three goals. Perhaps Dundalk’s most intriguing playing is Jeongwoo Han. The South Korean arrived at Dundalk ahead of the season after playing for Suwon FC in 2020 in the K League 2. He helped Suwon FC achieve promotion to the K League.
Dundalk’s squad is made up of a variety of nationalities including a Norwegian, Latvian, Scotsman, American, and Albanian. Perth should play another strong squad against Newtown in the second leg of the Europa Conference League. However, he can rotate players to give key men like Hoban and McMillan a break.
Hughes may rotate the side to face Dundalk on Tuesday. With the team unlikely to overcome the four-goal deficit, the Newtown manager may give some squad players the chance to play. Due to the scoreline going into the match, both sides may treat this more like a preseason friendly rather than a European tournament qualifying match.
Both clubs have been hit by COVID-19 over the last week. Perth had a few players test positive before the first leg. Newtown have a UEFA coefficient of 1.000, which makes them the joint lowest-ranked team in this season’s Europa Conference League. They were underdogs to defeat Dundalk even before the first leg was played.
Newtown vs Dundalk Prediction
First Tip: Dundalk to win to nil - BET NOW
Dundalk thrashed Newtown in the first leg 4-0. They will fancy their chances of finishing the job in Wales without conceding a goal. Dundalk may be seventh in the Ireland Premier Division, but they are head and shoulders above Newtown. The Welsh club should struggle in final third for a second straight match and lose to nil versus a stronger Dundalk side.
Second Tip: Jeongwoo Han to score anytime
Winger Jeongwoo Han scored in the first leg with a second half stoppage-time goal. The South Korean joined the club in March after his contract with Suwon FC expired at the end of 2020. Han is under contract until the end of the campaign and thanks to some strong performances for Dundalk, he could earn a contract with team on mainland Europe. He has scored two goals in eight matches in all competitions.
Third Tip: Over 2.5 goals scored @ 3/5 - BET NOW
Dundalk thrashed Newtown to kick off the Europa Conference League tournament. They should finish off the Welsh in similar fashion on Tuesday night. Dundalk are not only a superior side in terms of quality, but they are in the middle of the Ireland Premier Division – which is a far more difficult league than the Welsh Premier League.
Dundalk should punch their ticket with a win to nil over Newtown away from home. It will set up a match in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round against either FCI Levadia or St. Joseph’s. As it stands, Dundalk will play the Estonians FCI Levadia, who go into their second leg match following a 3-1 win versus St. Joseph’s.
