Astana take on the visitors Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of UEFA Champions League qualification quarterfinals. The first leg: 0-4. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 2nd at Astana Arena (Astana).
Astana can advance further only if a football miracle happens. The Citizens are actually a relatively young project, founded in 2009, but quickly claimed the second-place spot. In just five years, they entered a golden period, winning the national championship title six times in a row and establishing themselves as a strong contender in European competitions. They even managed to reach the group stage of the Champions League. However, they experienced a decline in the 2020-2021 season, losing their dominance in Kazakh football and struggling on the international stage. Last season, under the guidance of Babayan, they managed to regain their position at the top. Nevertheless, they now find themselves chasing a successful opponent, this time in the form of Ordabasy, in the national championship. Their return to the Champions League hasn't gone smoothly either. After a hard-fought 1-1 draw at home, they managed to overcome Dinamo (Tbilisi) with a determined victory in Georgia but conceded four goals on Maksimir.
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Dinamo (Zagreb) have practically resolved matters at this stage. The Blues occasionally won trophies even in the era of Yugoslavia. After Croatia gained independence, they gradually established almost unquestionable dominance in Croatian football and achieved good results in European competitions. Last season, they made it to the group stage of the Champions League and even started with a victory over Chelsea, leading to the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel. Later, they secured only a draw against Red Bull (Salzburg) and finished fourth in their group. In the current season, they started with a match against Kazakhs in the international format. In Zagreb, they held on for just over half an hour until Spikic scored a goal. Then, Ivanusec completed a hat-trick between the 41st and 56th minutes, effectively putting the game beyond any doubt.
A week ago, both teams continued the traditions set in 2018 when they faced each other in the Champions League qualifiers. Back then, the Croatians also achieved a pair of dry victories. Judging by the odds, success is expected for the Croatians in the upcoming match. Nevertheless, in this encounter, everything seems clear, and rarely do summer matches without tournament implications turn out to be thrilling. We bet on the final outcome of total goals under 2.5.
Prediction for the match: Under 2.5 scored goals.
