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Astana and Viktoria Plzen will battle for three points in a UEFA Europa Conference League early kickoff on Thursday.
The hosts are coming into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat away to Aktobe in the Kazakh Premier League over the weekend. Alibek Kasym and China scored in either half to inspire their side to victory.
Viktoria Plzen, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 defeat away to champions Sparta Prague in the Czech Fortuna Liga. All three goals were scored in the first half, with Qazim Laci and Jan Kuchta scoring to guide their side to victory.
Miroslav Koubek's side will channel their energies to the Conference League where their opening game saw them narrowly dispatch FC Ballkani with a 1-0 home win. Astana were on the end of a 5-1 walloping away to Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb.
The defeat left the Kazakh outfit rooted to the bottom of Group C while Plzen are second.
Astana vs Viktoria Plzen Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
- FC Astana are currently on a five-game unbeaten streak at home, winning four games in this sequence.
- Viktoria Plzen's defeat to Sparta Prague over the weekend ended their 12-game winning streak in all competitions.
- FC Astana have led at halftime in three of their four Conference League home games (including qualifiers).
- Viktoria Plzen are currently on a six-game winning run in the Conference League (including qualifiers).
- Five of Viktoria Plzen's last six away games in all competitions have witnessed goals at both ends and also produced three goals or more.
- Astana's defeat to Aktobe over the weekend ended their run of five successive games to see both teams find the back of the net.
Astana vs Viktoria Plzen Prediction
Both sides started off their campaigns in contrasting fashion, with Plzen holding on for a narrow win while Astana were trounced in Zagreb.
The Kazakh champions will be looking to get back on track as another defeat here would leave them in danger of an early elimination from European football. Plzen, for their part, will be smarting from seeing their winning streak come to an end over the weekend but confidence will still be high in Miroslav Koubek's side.
Although one side could claim a win, we are backing the spoils to be shared in a low-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Astana 1-1 Viktoria Plzen
Astana vs Viktoria Plzen Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Under 2.5 goals
