Astana vs Corvinul Hunedoara Prediction 14.08.2024 | Europa League

• Competition: UEFA Europa League - Qualifying
• Date: Wednesday, 14th, August 2024
• Kickoff: 15:00 UK / 16.00 CEST
• Venue: Almaty Central Stadium (Almaty)

Defending their slim lead will be Astana's focus when they welcome Romanian second division outfit Corvinul Hunedoara to Kazakhstan for the return leg of their Europa League third-round qualifier on Wednesday.

The Kazakh club put one foot in the final round of UEFA's second-tier competition qualifiers after overcoming a first-half deficit to ultimately register a narrow 2-1 victory over Corvinul. By avoiding failure on Wednesday, Astana will go up against either St. Mirren or Brann in their bid for Europa League group stage qualification.

Astana vs Corvinul Hunedoara Betting Tips: UNDER 2.5

The difference in quality between these rivals is negligible, but the experience they possess at this level of football and the home advantage should prove to be enough to push Astana into the Europa League play-off round. On this occasion, though, we expect a less thrilling game and lower effectiveness than in last week's first-leg, as the Yellow-Blues will need to maintain high defensive sharpness to thwart Corvinul's attemps to level the score. It seems that Astana will face little difficulty in containing the attacking unit of the Romanian second-tier side, which has struggled with finishing since the start of the new season, having failed to score in three of their last four matches. 

However, Grigori Babayan's side has struggled to shine in the final third throughout the current season, as their tally of 14 goals from 13 top-flight outings makes their attack one of the least productive. Additionally, it's important to note that Astana's matches in the Kazakh top division this season have been among the dullest, with 10 of their 13 games so far producing no more than two goals each. With both teams struggling to create chances and their attacks lacking sharpness, this encounter is likely to unfold at a slow tempo with limited goal-scoring moments.