ASTANA v CFR CLUJ
Champions League
Tuesday 9th July 2019
Kickoff: 1400hrs
Pick: CFR Cluj AH+0.5
Bookmaker: Unibet
Odds: 1.68 (odds taken at 06:38 GMT, 08 July 2019)
Tuesday night marks the 1st legs of the 1st qualifying round of this season’s Champions League and our next preview features the clash between Kazakhstan side, Astana, taking on Romanian outfit, CFR Cluj as the betting tips continue at the Astana Arena.
Astana Prediction – Can Astana get 1st leg lead?
Astana currently sit top of the Kazakhstan Premier League albeit on a +5 goals difference over 2nd placed Tobol, as they prepare for this 1st leg tie.
A 2-0 win away at the aforementioned title rivals, Tobol, on the weekend will have given Astana a timely boost ahead of this Champions League clash.
However, prior to the weekend’s victory, Astana had stumbled to back-to-back defeats in the domestic top flight which had threatened their position at the top.
Defeats to Ordabasy and Kairat show that Tuesday night’s hosts aren’t quite as infallible as they were a few weeks ago.
Although they’ve collected 7 wins from their 10 league matches on home turf at their Astana Arena, Astana have also lost 3 as well.
Indeed, after having posted 5 wins on the trot at home to start their season off in style, Astana have since slumped by comparison.
3 defeats from their last 5 matches in the Premier League shows a worrying dip in form, as well as losing home and away in their last Champions League tie.
Astana lost to Croatian side, Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 on aggregate last season.
CFR Cluj Prediction – Can CFR Cluj avoid defeat in Kazakhstan?
A 1-0 defeat in the Romanian Supercupa to Viitorul ended a 5-match sequence of matches without defeat for CFR Cluj.
Earlier, CFR Cluj had registered wins against Orenburg, Osijek, Mlada Boleslav and Sparta Prague, all of which were in club friendlies.
The Romanian domestic top flight season doesn’t get underway until next week, so CFR Cluj have played 5 friendlies in the meantime.
Results away from home ended on a positive note for CFR Cluj as the visitors lost just 1 of their last 11 away from home in all competitions.
That loss came in the shape of a 1-0 loss at Steaua Bucharest, but wins at Viitorul, Sepsi and Astra, the latter being a 5-1 thrashing will give them confidence here.
After a 6-year absence from the Champions League, CFR Cluj narrowly lost 2-1 on aggregate to Swedish side, Malmo, back in August last year.
Better news for CFR Cluj is that the visitors are unbeaten in their last 6 away ties in this competition, which includes 4 wins and 2 draws.
Key-Facts – Astana v CFR Cluj
- Astana have lost 3 of their last 5 matches in the domestic top flight
- Ghana have kept 5 clean sheets from their last 6 matches overall
- CFR Cluj are unbeaten in their last 6 away ties in this competition
Betting Tips Verdict
Astana have shown there’s perhaps a couple of chinks in their armour in recent times and CFR Cluj could get a draw (or better) in this 1st leg.
