Astana VS Celtic Match Prediction

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this will be the first ever time that Celtic have played Astana in any competition. As Astana were only formed as a club a few years ago in 2009, Celtic will actually be the first Scottish club to have taken on the Kazakh outfit.

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Astana v Celtic: Prediction

Astana is one of the most daunting journeys in Europe and the travelling time alone means this will be a very hard game for Celtic. Rodgers still seems to be working out his best team, with the Kazakh side hoping to make the most of home advantage before heading to Glasgow for the second leg. Astana reached the group stages last year and they can do so again by recording a positive result here to put themselves in a commanding position in the tie.

Astana v Celtic: Betting Tips

Astana are narrow favourites but it is a surprise to see them available at a price of 13/8 considering how strong they usually are in their home games. Celtic can be backed at 2/1 to win the game and take control of this Champions League qualifier, while the draw is priced up at 23/10. The first legs of these games can often be very tight and tense, so the 4/5 against both teams to score stands out, while under 2.5 goals also stands out as a good bet, even at 4/7.

Astana won 2-1 in the last round to book their place in the third qualifying stage of the Champions League and it would be a surprise if there were too many changes from the team that won that game. Manager Stanimir Stoilov will be hoping Anicic keeps up his good form after he hit both goals in that victory to keep his team in the competition for another round.

Astana likely XI: 

Eric, Logvinenko, Anicic, Shitov, Shomko, Maksimovic, Canas, Ibraimi, Nuserbayev, Kabananga, Twumasi.

It has been a baptism of fire for new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who has had to juggle pre-season games, the International Champions Cup and qualifying rounds for the Champions League. Defeat to Lincoln Red Imps in the first leg of the last round might well have been a wake-up call as the Scottish champions won the second leg 3-0 in order to progress. Sviatchenko has been passed fit after an injury scare, while Griffiths is set to continue up front for Celtic.

Celtic likely XI: 

Gordon, Lustig, Sviatchenko, Tierney, Brown, Forrest, Armstrong, McGregor, Griffiths, Dembele, Roberts.

It is hard to see Celtic winning this game, even if they did rest a lot of key figures during their recent International Champions Cup defeat on penalties to Premier League winners Leicester City. Astana are well-priced considering the long trip the Scottish champions have to make and it is easy to side with the hosts for a game that is likely to feature few goals.

Astana are unbeaten in their last five games, while Celtic lost their previous match on penalties to Leicester City in the International Champions Cup.