Aberdeen vs Kairat Almaty Betting Tips

The Kazakh side take a 2-1 lead with them as they make the marathon journey to Northern Scotland. Goals from Mikhail Bakaev and Bauyrzhan Islamkhan gave them a 2-0 lead early on in Almaty last week but Aberdeen fought back well and Kenny Mclean netted a crucial away goal in the 2^nd half.

That leaves the tie in the balance ahead of the return at Pittodrie. Aberdeen will still be confident having made a winning start to their Scottish Premiership campaign by winning 1-0 away to Dundee United at the weekend. That was impressive given they had made the longest journey in the history of UEFA club competitions just a few days earlier.

Aberdeen are currently filling the void left by Rangers as the most likely challengers to Celtic in Scotland. They were excellent last season and an impressive win over Croatian side Rijeka already this term suggests they could have what it takes to make the Europa League group stage.

There is still plenty of work to be done though against a Kairat side that are topping their domestic league which is at a fairly advanced stage. However the Almaty club are far more comfortable on home soil if their history in European competition is anything to go by.

Kairat have won 6 of their last 7 home games in Europe but have only ever won once on the road and they have lost 5 of their 7 away encounters. Even in the last round they were beaten at Armenian side Alashkert but progressed thanks to another solid home win.

Therefore you have to fancy Aberdeen who have impressed throughout pre-season and also in their early competitive games to win this. An away goal will be vital if the Kazakh side are to have a chance of progressing but despite losing the first leg, this is a great chance for Aberdeen to make the play-off round of the Europa League and match the feat they managed 12 months ago.