Hapoel Petah Tikva vs Beitar Jerusalem: match statistics

Beitar Jerusalem are the match favorites and I tip the away win (2) due to a clear numerical superiority. The visitors sit 2nd in the table, have won 22 matches this season and boast a 71% away win rate, while Hapoel are 6th with only a 25% home win rate. Beitar’s away attack is markedly stronger: on average 2.65 goals per game and xG 1.82 with 5.94 shots on target, versus the hosts’ 1.25 goals, xG 1.40 and 4.19 shots on target; shooting accuracy is 17% vs 11%, and shutout rate 6% vs 44%. Hapoel haven’t won any of their last 5 matches (0-1-4), scoring only 4 and conceding 12, whereas Beitar’s last 5 read 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss with an 8-7 goal record and an average of 2.0 points per game versus 0.2 for Hapoel. Considering the visitors’ offensive edge, higher conversion and superior form, I assess their chances of winning as dominant.

The BTTS scenario is more likely: Hapoel has a seasonal BTTS rate of 59% and Beitar 76%, while the league average is 54%, indicating frequent goals from both sides. In the last 5 matches both teams recorded BTTS at 60% and Hapoel conceded 12 goals in those 5 fixtures (avg 2.4 per match) with only 4 scored (0.8), whereas Beitar scored 8 and conceded 7 (1.6 and 1.4), suggesting the hosts are vulnerable to conceding and the visitors are capable of scoring. Chance metrics corroborate this picture: xG for Hapoel is 1.84 and for Beitar 1.82, with xG against of 1.22 and 1.29 — both teams create ~1.8 xG and allow over 1.2 xG. Additionally, Beitar has only 18% clean sheets, Hapoel 35%, and Beitar has scored 77 goals this season versus 55 conceded by Hapoel, which further supports the scenario that both sides will find the net. Therefore I recommend BTTS - Yes with an estimated probability of 74% versus 26% for No.

Expected goals were calculated as the average of the team’s attacking xG and the opponent’s defensive xG: Hapoel has xG for 1.84 vs Beitar xG against 1.29 → 1.57 expected goals, Beitar has xG for 1.82 vs Hapoel xG against 1.22 → 1.52, totaling 3.09 goals. Season-long metrics confirm the offensive nature of the fixture: Hapoel averages 1.88 goals per match, Beitar 2.65, and the share of matches over 1.5 goals is 65% for Hapoel and 94% for Beitar, which strongly supports Over 1.5. For the 2.5 line Hapoel records Over in 53% of games, Beitar in 82% (average 67.5%), and with a combined xG of 3.09 I estimate roughly a 72% probability for Over 2.5. In the last 5 matches Hapoel scored 4 goals (0.8/match) and conceded 12 (2.4/match), while Beitar scored 8 (1.6/match) and conceded 7 (1.4/match), which further increases the likelihood of goals from both sides (BTTS 59% vs 76%). In summary, the strongest signal from the data is Over 1.5 (play: Over 1.5), although Over 2.5 also has clear statistical backing, while Over 3.5 remains less likely.

Beitar Jerusalem appears to be the offensive favourite: the visitors average 2.65 goals per match versus 1.88 for the home side and have a higher shot conversion rate (17% vs 12%); the xG for both teams is almost identical (Hapoel 1.84, Beitar 1.82), which points to an efficiency advantage for the visitors. In their last five matches Beitar won 60% of games, while Hapoel recorded no wins (0%), and the hosts were behind at the break in 60% of those fixtures; the visitors led at the break in 40% of the last five. In first halves over the last five matches the visitors average 0.8 goals by halftime, the hosts only 0.2, increasing the probability of Beitar holding a lead after 45 minutes. The visitors’ superiority is also visible in second halves: Beitar scores an average of 1.71 goals after the break versus Hapoel’s 1.12 and averages 2.06 points in second halves compared to the hosts’ 1.65, so maintaining or extending the lead is realistic. On this basis my strongest signal is the scenario of the visitors leading at the break and winning at full-time (2/2), which I assign a 27% probability.