Action in the Europa League Group A continues next week, with FC Astana travelling to Israel to take on Maccabi Tel Aviv. The two teams are both playing catch up after three matches each to date, with the Kazakhstani side having defeated Tel Aviv in front of their home fans just last week.
Champions League – Netanya Stadium, Netanya – Thursday 2nd November – 19:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 23/10 at Ladbrokes |
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Maccabi Tel Aviv
FC AstanaMatch Preview
Having missed out on a place in the Champions League group stage following a narrow two-legged defeat against Celtic, FC Astana are looking to make progress in Europe’s second tier competition. The Kzakstani Premier League side comfortably saw off Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Astana Arena last week, with another three points significantly enhancing their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition. However, Israel is not an easy place to win in, making this an intriguing encounter. For those looking to place a bet on this match, let’s take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Maccabi Tel Aviv Team News & Form
Maccabi’s form coming into this encounter has been inconsistent to say the least, with Jordi Cruyff’s men having lost out to rivals Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Israeli Premier League over the weekend. As well as this, they have claimed just a single point in Group A so far, coming at home against Villarreal in the second week of the competition. Defeats to both Slavia Prague and FC Astana have left them with little hope of reaching the latter stages of the competition, with fans at the Netanya Stadium undoubtedly hoping for a positive result this time around. English striker Nick Blackman could well start for the home side, with the Derby Country loanee having scored three goals for the club already. Israel internationals dominate their playing squad, with a lack of goals having stunted their growth in the competition so far.
FC Astana Team News & Form
As for FC Astana, the Kazakh side suffered a surprise defeat to Ordabasy over the weekend, however they remain top of the table having won three of their last five league encounters. Stanimir Stoilov’s men recovered well from a defeat in Spain against Villarreal on the opening week of this season’s Europa League, with their victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv last week leaving them on four points in the table, just one away from second-place Slavia Prague. Striker Patrick Twumasi could well start up-front for the visitors, having scored twice against the Israeli’s last time around.
Head to Head
Before their meeting in Kazakhstan last week, where Astana ran out 4-0 winners, the two teams had never previously met in any competitive fixture, making next week’s encounter difficult to predict. No real conclusions can be made in this area when looking to make predictions surrounding the upcoming encounter.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite the result between the two teams last week, it is the home side who are the favourites for victory, with best odds of 11/8 for Tel Aviv found at William Hill. Meanwhile, for those looking to back Astana to claim all three points for a second time, you can find best odds of 2/1 at PaddyPower.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for the match is to back both teams to score, which can be found at odds of 10/11 at Ladbrokes.