KuPS hosts Astana in the first leg of the Europa Conference League qualification semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, August 5th at Vare Areena (Kuopio)
KuPS showed the ability to fight to the end. The Canaries generally spend the season in great shape. They won the cup and take solid 2nd place in Veikkausliiga, so everything is all right in the local arena. KuPS also started well in the Conference League qualification. So far, the Canaries are wiping out the representatives of the post-Soviet region. First, the Armenian Noah was knocked out. And losing 1-0 away, KuPS simply destroyed the opponent at home with a 5-0 score. In the confrontation against Vorskla, there was a different scenario. Both at home and in Poltava, the Canaries were losing up to the added minutes but managed to equalize (2-2). And in the extra time, the Ukrainians were let down by the forced substitute Kushnirenko, who received a red card. And Rangel managed to score a decisive goal for the Finnish club.
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FC Astana has invariably won the champion’s title from 2014 to 2019. But last year turned out to be a disaster for the capital team, which fell to 3rd place. And it’s far from certain that the Blue and Yellows will regain the title in the current championship. There is serious competition from Tobol, and Kairat, last year's triumphant, should not be completely disregarded either. On July 1st, Astana beat Aris at home thanks to the double of striker Tomasov. The Greeks were able to win the return leg with a similar score, and the clubs began to play in extra time, but the hosts were left with ten men. And Astana managed to use the majority: the newcomer, Eneo Bitri, scored in the 120th minute, and Aris simply didn’t have time to answer with anything.
KuPS and Astana are not regulars in European competitions, although it should be admitted that the Kazakhs are working on their reputation and are gradually gaining respect. But they had never played against the Finns before. Yes, Astana has changed a lot. And the club doesn’t look convincing away, like all Kazakhs. But KuPS is not a grandee either, so we will bet that the visitors will not lose.
Prediction for the match: Astana to win with +0.5 handicap
