Midtjylland vs FC Astana Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Astana have a narrow lead ahead of their Champions League qualifier with Midtjylland on Wednesday night. The pair met in Kazakhstan last week, and that clash saw Astana come away with a 2-1 victory. They clash in Denmark this week, as hosts Midtjylland chase a comeback which would book a spot in the third round of the qualifiers. They are still some way from September’s group stage, and by Wednesday night one of these two will have lost their chance of making it that far.

The hosts may be trailing, but they will be confident that they can turn things around after picking up an away goal last week. They’ll be looking to build on that in the home leg, but could their slow start to the new campaign affect them in this clash? The Danish champions picked up their first win of the campaign at the third attempt at the weekend, but even in that clash they looked a little shaky. They beat Esbjerg 3-1 at home; a result good enough to take them through in the Champions League, but conceding at home must worry them.

Astana have emerged as a European force in recent years, after becoming the first Kazakh team to make the group stage. However, their away form in this competition is less than stellar, so they aren’t likely to keep a clean sheet in this visit. They’ve rarely been able to keep out sides on the road in this competition, and when they do it’s usually against much poorer sides than Midtjylland. After all, the Danish champions were the great entertainers throughout their Europa League qualifiers, and we expect the hosts to have enough goals in their side to cause problems for Astana.

Following their 2-1 loss last week, Midtjylland still haven’t failed to score in a Champions League game. However, conceding four in their last three shows that they’re not entirely solid in this competition. With the Kazakh champions scoring in their last four matches in this competition, we see them getting some joy in Denmark. After all, it would be huge for the away side to get an away goal too, and they’ll get confident in their chances after their home win.

With Midtjylland making a slow start defensively, while Astana are midway through their domestic campaign, we see both teams scoring on Wednesday. We think BTTS is a value bet given the form and history of the pair, while we’re backing the visitors to get away with a 1-1 draw and make it through to the next round.