Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
FC Astana
Corvinul Hunedoara
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In the third round of UEFA Conference League qualifying, Astana from Kazakhstan will host Hunedoara from Romania in the return leg at their home stadium. This match is set to take place on Wednesday, August 14, kicking off at 16:00 CET. The Dailysports team has prepared a prediction for this encounter.
Astana
The Kazakh team secured a narrow 2-1 victory in the first leg against Hunedoara. The Romanians took the lead, but Astana managed to turn the game around and claim a hard-fought win. Currently, the domestic league is ongoing in Kazakhstan. After 13 rounds, Astana has accumulated 18 points and is positioned ninth in the league table. They are eight points behind third place, making it challenging to close the gap.
Compared to last season, their current results are less impressive, as they finished second last year, just five points behind the leaders. Astana is one of the most successful clubs in Kazakhstan. They are seven-time Kazakh champions, three-time winners of the Kazakhstan Cup, and six-time winners of the Kazakhstan Super Cup. They are also the only Kazakh club to have represented the country in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.
Hunedoara
The Romanian side began their European journey in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. They successfully advanced through the first round with a 4-2 victory but narrowly lost 0-1 to Rijeka in the second round. As mentioned earlier, in the first leg against Astana, Hunedoara took the lead but couldn't hold onto it, suffering a disappointing 1-2 defeat despite putting up a strong fight against the Kazakhs.
It's worth noting that the new season in Romania has already begun, but Hunedoara has yet to play a match due to their involvement in European qualifying. This qualification campaign is only the second in the club’s history. In the 1982/83 season, they were eliminated in the second round. Additionally, the team is the current holder of the Romanian Cup.
Interesting facts and head-to-head matches
- This match will be the second-ever meeting between these two teams.
- Astana is unbeaten in seven matches. In their last four home matches, Astana has scored first.
Astana vs Hunedoara Prediction
Astana's victory in the first leg is crucial, especially since it was an away game. I don't believe Hunedoara will manage to win this match. My bet is on an Astana victory with odds of 1.58.
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