Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Astana Arena will host Thursday’s Conference League qualifier between Kyzylzhar and APOEL. The Cypriotes totally deserved the win in the first leg, with Georgios Efrem scoring the only goal of the match. APOEL looked solid at the back a week ago, and we are positive that they will rely on their rock-solid defence in Thursday’s clash as well. There are no fresh selection worries in the away side ahead of the trip to Kazakhstan.
The hosts, on the other hand, had no goal attempts in the first leg, which is probably the main reason why home win should not be considered. Yet another low-scoring affair is on the horizon, and we believe that punters from all four corners of the world can find value in betting on under 2.5 goals. You should know that under 2.5 goals have been netted in each of APOEL’s last four games in the Conference League.
Highlighted Player (Emilio Nsue):
Emilio Nsue is a pacey winger who was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on September 30, 1989. After starting his youth career at Atletico Baleares, he moved to Mallorca football academy in 2004 and he continued playing for los Bermellones at senior level.
Nsue scored 13 goals in 142 appearances for the club and you should know that he played for the likes of Castellon and Real Sociedad on loan from 2008 to 2010. In the summer of 2014 he moved to England, signing a three-year deal with Middlesbrough as a free agent. Emilio Nsue made his debut for the Boro on August 9 in a 2-0 win over Birmingham City at Riverside Stadium.
After making 70 appearances in the league for Middlesbrough, he joined Birmingham City on January 18, 2017 on a three-and-a-half-year deal. Despite being born in Spain, Nsue represents Equatorial Guinea national football team on the international stage. Nsue made his debut for Equatorial Guinea on March 21, 2013 in an unofficial friendly game against Benin.
Highlighted Team (APOEL):
APOEL are a Cypriot football club based in Nicosia. The Thrylos were founded on 8 November, 1926 and they won their first league trophy in 1932, defeating AEL Limassol 4-0 in the final. Over the years APOEL have established themselves as one of the best teams in Cyprus and they won their 25th domestic trophy in 2016.
The Thrylos participated in the 2014/2015 Champions League group stages, but they failed to make life difficult for the likes of PSG, Ajax and Barcelona, picking up no more than one point from possible 18. APOEL share a great rivalry with Omonia and the meeting between two teams is well known as the Nicosia derby.
A number of foreign footballers played for APOEL and it has to be noted that the likes of Daniel Florea, Dudu Biton, Marcos Tavares, Paul Okon, Dragisa Binic, Nenad Milosavljevic, Paulo Costa, Tiago Gomes, Alexandros Tziolis and Fernando Cavenaghi were all part of the team in the past. The colour of APOEL’s home kits is yellow.