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FC Astana and HJK Helsinki square off in Kazakhstan after the Finnish side held for a pretty respectable 0-0 result at home.
Astana had a great season last year, winning the title for the first time and validating the investments that have been made into the team. This season the hosts are just 3rd after 22 rounds, but they finished the regular season 1 point behind the leaders, so everything is still fine for them. Astana posted a great result in the previous Champions League qualifying round, defeating a strong Maribor side 3-1 at home after losing 1-0 away. Surely they will try to use home court advantage again against HJK Helsinki.
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HJK will be happy with that 0-0 draw at home, keeping a clean sheet despite the fact that Astana was the better and more active side throughout the match. In the previous round, the Finnish side got past Ventspils, 3-1 and 1-0. Like Astana, HJK is in the middle of the domestic season and they are leading the league after 21 rounds, despite winning just 1 of their last 5 league games. HJK played a friendly with Liverpool this weekend, losing 2-0.
Astana is clearly the better side here, they proved it in the first leg where they were generally the aggressor and should be able to dominate at home – whete they are so much better. Actually Astana is yet to lose a home game this season in all competitions and their last home defeat dates back to exactly 1 year ago (!!!), when they were routed 3-0 by Villarreal in the Europa League. HJK on the other hand is very poor away from home, as they barely won 2 games on the road all season in Finland – 2 wins out of 9 matches that is.
Look for a simple, straight win for Astana today. They need a winning result to qualify and they should keep most of the ball, eventually finding the winning goal(s) sooner or later. My tip is an Astana win – a pretty straightforward bet really. Prediction: FC Astana – HJK Helsinki 2-0.
Pick: Astana
Odds: 1.63 @ Smart Live Sports
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 5.04
Event date: 5 August
