Today's UEFA Qualifier Predictions & Football Tips – August 20, 2026
Welcome to SureGameToday's football predictions for Thursday, August 20, 2026. Today's selections focus mainly on the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League play-off matches, alongside one additional Saudi Pro League fixture from the featured betslip.
The European schedule includes important first-leg ties as clubs fight for places in the league phases of UEFA competitions. Besiktas face Kauno Žalgiris, Benfica host AGF Aarhus, Rangers welcome Jablonec and Atalanta face Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Our predictions combine team strength, home advantage, recent form, European experience and the nature of each first-leg tie. We have included a main prediction, bookmaker odds from the provided betslip, a correct-score tip, an alternative selection and Over/Under and BTTS suggestions for every match.
Today's Football Predictions & Odds
| Country | Competition | Match | Prediction | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇹🇷 Türkiye / 🇱🇹 Lithuania | UEFA Europa League | Besiktas vs Kauno Žalgiris | Besiktas -1 Handicap | 1.35 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal / 🇩🇰 Denmark | UEFA Europa League | Benfica vs AGF Aarhus | Benfica -1 Handicap | 1.42 |
| 🏴 Scotland / 🇨🇿 Czechia | UEFA Conference League | Rangers vs Jablonec | Jablonec +2 Handicap | 1.64 |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Saudi Pro League | Al-Fayha vs Al-Hilal | Al-Hilal Win | 1.23 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy / 🇮🇱 Israel | UEFA Conference League | Atalanta vs Hapoel Tel Aviv | Hapoel Tel Aviv +3 Handicap | 1.56 |
1. Besiktas vs Kauno Žalgiris
🇹🇷 Besiktas vs Kauno Žalgiris 🇱🇹
UEFA Europa League Play-off
Besiktas welcome Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie. The Turkish side have been extremely efficient during their European qualifying campaign, winning both legs against Hradec Králové and also beating Midtjylland home and away.
Besiktas have won their last four European qualifying matches without conceding a goal. That defensive record gives the hosts a major advantage going into this first leg.
Kauno Žalgiris have already played several qualifying rounds, including ties against Drita, KI Klaksvík and Dinamo Zagreb. However, their recent Champions League qualifying campaign showed the difficulty they face against stronger opposition. They lost 5-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb before a 2-1 home defeat.
Besiktas should control possession and create the majority of the opportunities. The main question is whether the visitors can keep the scoreline respectable.
Odds: 1.35
BTTS: No
2. Benfica vs AGF Aarhus
🇵🇹 Benfica vs AGF Aarhus 🇩🇰
UEFA Europa League Play-off
Benfica host Danish champions AGF Aarhus at Estádio da Luz in the first leg of their Europa League play-off. Benfica enter the tie with considerable European experience and the advantage of playing the opening match at home.
Benfica have already produced a strong European performance this season, including a 6-1 home victory over Hearts in the previous qualifying round. They then completed the job with a 1-1 draw in Scotland.
AGF Aarhus arrive after a difficult Champions League qualifying tie against Sabah. They won the first leg 2-1 but suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat away in the return match.
That away performance is a concern ahead of a visit to Lisbon. Benfica possess considerably greater European experience and should be able to impose their attacking quality, especially with the support of the home crowd.
Benfica are expected to take the initiative from the beginning. A comfortable home victory would put them in a strong position before the second leg in Denmark.
Odds: 1.42
BTTS: No
3. Rangers vs Jablonec
🏴 Rangers vs Jablonec 🇨🇿
UEFA Conference League Play-off
Rangers face Jablonec in an important European qualifying tie with the Scottish side looking to establish a strong advantage from the first leg.
Rangers have the greater European pedigree and will have the benefit of home advantage. At Ibrox, the Scottish side are expected to dominate possession and spend long periods in the attacking third.
However, the handicap selection on this betslip gives Jablonec a two-goal advantage. That makes the selection more attractive than simply backing Rangers to win, because Jablonec can lose the match while the handicap bet can still land.
Rangers should create enough chances to win, but a four-goal margin is a much bigger requirement than a straightforward home victory. For that reason, the +2 handicap on Jablonec provides some protection against a narrow or moderate Rangers victory.
The most likely scenario is Rangers controlling the game and Jablonec attempting to remain compact and limit the damage.
Odds: 1.64
BTTS: No
4. Al-Fayha vs Al-Hilal
🇸🇦 Al-Fayha vs Al-Hilal
Saudi Pro League
Al-Fayha face Al-Hilal in a Saudi Pro League fixture, with Al-Hilal entering the match as the stronger side on paper.
Al-Hilal possess greater attacking quality and considerably more depth across the squad. Their ability to control possession and create chances from different areas of the pitch makes them a difficult opponent for Al-Fayha.
Al-Fayha will have home advantage and should try to make the match competitive, particularly during the opening stages. However, Al-Hilal's individual quality should eventually make the difference.
The safest approach from the supplied betslip is the straight Al-Hilal win rather than taking an aggressive handicap. The visitors should have enough quality to collect all three points if they perform close to their normal level.
Odds: 1.23
BTTS: No
5. Atalanta vs Hapoel Tel Aviv
🇮🇹 Atalanta vs Hapoel Tel Aviv 🇮🇱
UEFA Conference League Play-off
Atalanta host Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first leg of their European play-off tie. The Italian side have a significant advantage in squad quality and top-level European experience.
Atalanta are expected to control possession and push Hapoel Tel Aviv deep into their own half for long periods. The hosts have the technical quality to create numerous opportunities, particularly through their attacking movement around the box.
However, the betslip selection gives Hapoel Tel Aviv a three-goal handicap. This is important because Atalanta would need to win by four or more goals for the handicap selection to lose.
A comfortable Atalanta victory is certainly possible, but a very large margin is harder to predict in a first-leg European tie. Hapoel should therefore have a reasonable chance of staying within the three-goal handicap.
Atalanta should nevertheless dominate the match and are the obvious team to control the tempo. Hapoel's priority is likely to be keeping the deficit manageable for the return leg.
Odds: 1.56
BTTS: No
Today's Strongest Selections
2. Besiktas -1 Handicap — 1.35
3. Benfica -1 Handicap — 1.42
4. Hapoel Tel Aviv +3 Handicap — 1.56
5. Jablonec +2 Handicap — 1.64
Prediction Summary
Our five featured selections combine two UEFA Europa League fixtures, two UEFA Conference League fixtures and one Saudi Pro League match. The main strategy is to back the stronger teams where appropriate while using handicap protection in the more difficult European matchups.
The highest-risk selections are the handicap bets, particularly where the favourite is expected to win by a large margin. Always consider the handicap line itself rather than looking only at which team is more likely to win.
Conclusion
Today's football predictions feature five carefully selected matches, with four coming from UEFA qualifying/play-off action and one from the Saudi Pro League.
Besiktas and Benfica are expected to use home advantage to take control of their respective European ties, while Rangers should have enough quality to win against Jablonec. The handicap gives Jablonec additional protection, making it an interesting alternative to backing Rangers on the straight result.
Al-Hilal are the strongest straight-win selection on the betslip, while Atalanta should also dominate their European fixture against Hapoel Tel Aviv. The three-goal handicap on Hapoel provides additional protection if Atalanta win without producing an extremely large margin.
As always, football predictions are not guarantees. Team news, lineups, injuries, motivation and late odds movements can all influence the outcome of a match. Bet responsibly and only stake what you can afford to lose.
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