Astana take on the visitors Ludogorets in the first leg of UEFA Europa League qualification semifinals. The match will be played on Tuesday, August 8th at Astana Arena (Astana).
Astana doesn't look convincing this year. The City managed to win the championship title in the 2022 season after a couple of years' hiatus. However, there is still no feeling that this is the same strong team, even by European standards, that was highly regarded in the late 2000s. Currently, Grigory Babayan's team is behind Ordabasy in the domestic arena and hopes for a slip-up from the audacious contender. They have already been eliminated from the Champions League qualification. It could have happened earlier, but in the initial stage, after a 1-1 draw at home with Dynamo Tbilisi, they secured a determined victory in Georgia. However, they couldn't do anything against the next Dinamo team from Zagreb: 0-4 in Croatia and 0-2 at home.
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Ludogorets disappointed in the Champions League qualification. The Eagles once made it to the main rounds of the main European cup. However, it seems that the dominance of the project in Bulgarian football has affected their ability to compete at the highest level. Hence, perhaps the toothless performances of Ivaylo Petev's team in this qualification. Yes, they demolished Balkani 4-0 at home, but before that, they suffered a 0-2 defeat in Kosovo. As for Olimpija, the team couldn't contain Elsnik, who scored three times in the two matches. The result was a 1-1 draw in Razgrad and a 1-2 defeat in Ljubljana.
As the giants of their respective countries in recent years, they will play against each other in a head-to-head match for the first time. The strengths of the two teams are considered almost equal, even within the context of the match in Kazakhstan. But the guests haven't impressed more than the city where the home field advantage lies. We bet on Astana's victory with a zero handicap.
Prediction for the match: Astana to win with 0.0 handicap.