Our prediction for this Europa League match:
APOEL Nicosia
Match Time & Date:
23/08/2018
01:00 PM
Prediction: 2-1
FC Astana
APOEL and Astana, the two teams who failed to book their place in the Champions League group stages, face each other in the Europa League final qualifying round. Neo GSP stadium in Nicosia will host the first leg and, as a result, APOEL are seen as favourites to win Thursday’s football match. The Cypriotes produce much better showings at home than on the travels and we predict that they are going to emerge triumphant in the first leg. You should know that APOEL recorded six wins in last seven home games in the Europa League, with the team beating the likes of Olympiakos Piraeus, Athletic Club and Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the process. Astana, on the other hand, failed to impress in the CL two-legged tie against Dinamo Zagreb, which is probably the main reason why we are tempted to put our money on the hosts.
Highlighted Player (Georgios Efrem):
Born in Limassol, Cyprus on 5 July, 1989 Georgios Efrem played for his hometown club Apollon Limassol during his youth career, but in 2004 he joined Premier League club Arsenal at the age of 15. In 2007 he moved to Rangers, but he didn’t see any game action with the Gers at senior level.
The pacey winger, who is capable of playing as an attacking midfielder as well, returned to Cyprus in 2009, signing a deal with Omonia. After scoring 25 goals in 134 league appearances for the club, the 171-cm-tall footballer joined fellow Cypriot outfit APOEL on 6 June, 2014. Efrem made his debut for the club against Helsinki on 30 July, 2014 in the Europa League qualifying match.
It has to be noted that he was named the best player of the 2015/2016 Cypriot First Division campaign. The APOEL winger made his Cyprus debut on 3 March, 2010 in a goalless draw with Iceland. Four years later he scored his first ever hat-trick for the Cypriot national team in a 5-0 triumph over Andorra.
Highlighted Team (FC Astana):
Astana are a professional football club based in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Blue and Yellows were founded in 2009 and five years later they won their first Kazakhstan Premier League trophy. Astana managed to defend their title in 2015, with the team finishing the season just one point clear of Kairat in the standings.
The Kazakhs participated in the Champions League group stages in the 2015/2016 season, but they failed to record a win in the elite competition. However, it has to be noted that they managed to hold star-studded Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw in front of home fans. Astana play their home games at Astana Arena and the capacity of the venue is 30 244.
The stadium was opened on 3 July, 2009 and the construction cost $185 million. Astana’s home kits are yellow with blue strips and they play their away games in navy-blue kits. The team recorded their biggest win on 19 June, 2011 when they outclassed Kairat 6-1 in the Kazakhstan Premier League.
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