Betdistrict.com
Everything still left to fight for in Scotland, as Celtic and Astana square off in the Champions League qualifying stage after a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan.
Celtic didn`t play much football in the first leg and that`s hardly a surprise anymore. The Scots have been dreadful in Europe over the last couple of years and this season started on the same note, despite the hiring of Brendan Rodgers. Celtic managed to lose 0-1 in Gibraltar to Lincoln Red Imps, one of the most useless displays of football I ever saw, before winning 3-0 in Scotland in another pathetic performance. All of Celtic’s 3 goals over the 180 minutes came in a 6 minute salvo in the second leg. Celtic’s offensive impotence was visible in Kazakhstan as well, where they had just 1 shot on target – which fortunately went in.
Astana really should have won last week’s game, they were the better team and had plenty of chances, while also keeping Celtic at bay, but in the end they had to settle for a 1-1 draw. The Kazakh league is in full swing, so Astana has a massive advantage compared to Celtic in this regard. The visitors have 10 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in the last competitive games, lead the league by 7 points with one game in hand and had the weekend match against Karagandy postponed – so they are fully ready for this challenge in Scotland.
Place your bet on Celtic Glasgow v Astana with the highest odds at 1xBet.com now!
Team news: Top signing Kolo Toure might make his debut for Celtic. Bitton, Sviatchenko, Simunovic and Boyata are out for the home side, while Astana hasn’t issued reports about new injuries.
The bookmakers are giving Celtic too much credit yet again, despite their dreadful performances in Europe over the last few years. The Scottish league has regressed and so did Celtic. Over the last years, they had very difficult ties with Eastern European teams like Karagandy, Maribor or Qarabag, all of which ended with dramatic qualifications or with Celtic being knocked out. Astana is a better side than all those teams and they are well proven in Europe after their Champions League campaign last season – though they were poor on the road in the group stages.
Astana was much more dangerous in the first leg and while playing in Scotland will be much more difficult, they can take advantage on the break if Celtic opens up a bit more. And if the Scots do not (and I don`t expect them to play open), then this is set to be an evenly matched, boring and grueling affair.
I would back Astana to qualify here, but knowing Celtic they will probably play this one for a 0-0 draw and I do believe their defense is decent enough to hold its own against an average European side. Looking at the odds for a +1 asian handicap on Astana, they look really great, especially as Celtic would be absolutely thrilled with a 0-0 draw or a 1 goal win.
My tip is Astana to cover a +1 goal asian handicap. The visitors are fitter due to playing regular competitive football at this stage of the season, they are in great form and proved to be better in the first leg, while Celtic is not showing anything on the pitch right now. Home court advantage seems to be Celtic’s only clear advantage here and it is a big one, as Astana usually struggles on the road in Europe – but even so, it`s hard to see Celtic scoring 2 or 3 goals here considering how useless they were in offense over the 3 games played this season, so the bet looks pretty safe. Prediction: Celtic Glasgow – Astana 0-0.
Pick: Astana (+1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.77 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.16
Event date: 3 August
