FC Astana vs Sutjeska Niksic Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Can Astana take their domestic form and step things up on the European stage? It was three seasons ago when they made it in to the group stage of Europe’s top competition, mixing with the likes of Benfica and Atletico Madrid. The Kazakhstan outfit have won their last four league titles, and now they’re aiming to improve their displays on the biggest stage of all. Can they move in to the second round of qualifying by seeing off Sutjeska on Wednesday night?

It’s going to be tough for the Kazakh champions to go all the way to the group stage this year, after UEFA cut the number of qualifiers from the champions’ path down to four. With 40 national champions vying for four spots in the group stage, it’s tough to see how they can progress all the way from here. Astana will be falling back on their solid recent record in Europe, while they have picked up a straightforward first round draw against Montenegro’s Sutjeska.

The visitors won their domestic title by 22 points last season, but their nation remains one of the lowest ranked in European club football. Astana have plenty of money backing them ahead of a push for the group stage, and it’s tough to see a side like Sutjeska being able to compete. They have just four matches under their belt in their competition, the last of which came back in 2014.

Sutjeska will be aiming to make a bigger impact this time around, and they’ll be targeting an Astana defence which has an occasional wobble. While they’re brilliant at the back in their domestic league, their European form isn’t as strong. They’ve conceded in their last three European games here, after a last 32 exit in the Europa League last term. They’ve managed one clean sheet in their last nine in the Champions League, while they’ve conceded in their last six at their own ground in this competition. That’s a run which is likely to continue for Astana, after they struggled to keep out the likes of Zalgris and Spartaks Jurmala at home.

We see Astana conceding, but they should still win comfortably. They’ve never lost in 11 home Champions League ties, winning the last two against Legia Warsaw and Celtic. The Kazakh side did concede in both of those victories, and we think the value is backing a repeat of that. Astana to win on Wednesday with both teams scoring is our tip, along with a 3-1 victory for the hosts.