When FC Astana take on Dynamo Kiev on Thursday night, it will be the first-ever meeting between the Kazakhstan and Ukraine sides. The match is set to kick off at 18:55 CET and will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
Dynamo Kiev vs Astana Bet365 Odds
Dynamo Kiev vs Astana Preview
Four-time defending champions Astana are the best team in Kazakhstan again. They top the league with 58 points and have lost only two out of 24 matches played (W18, D4). Stanimir Stoilov, the man who led FC Astana to those four straight league championships was appointed the manager of the Kazakhstan national team back in March, so the team is now led by Ukrainian Roman Hryhorchuk. They’ll be looking to at least repeat the success of last season when Astana reached the knockout stage of this competition for the first time (lost to Sporting Lisbon in Round of 32).
Dynamo Kiev is currently on a five-game winless run which includes a loss to Ajax, a home loss to domestic league outsiders Karpaty and three draws. The loss to Ajax meant that the Ukrainians were back in the Europa League for the second straight year. The EL draw pitted them against Rennes, Jablonec and Astana. It’s quite an easy group which Dynamo shouldn’t have a problem conquering but a win at the start will do wonders for their confidence.
Dynamo Kiev vs Astana Bet365 Odds
Player to watch: Viktor Tsygankov
20-year-old Viktor Tsygankov is one of the brightest young talents in European football. Andriy Yarmolenko’s heir apparent is already a key member of the starting lineup and could be one of the stars of the competition.
Dynamo Kiev vs Astana Key Stats
Dynamo Kiev is unbeaten in eight Europa League group stage matches at home ahead of this encounter (W7, D1). In addition, the Ukrainian club has scored two or more goals in each of them. However, they are also without a clean sheet in their last seven EL group games at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium. On the other side, Astana hasn’t scored more than once in a European group stage away game in nine attempts. Furthermore, eight of Astana’s past nine games have seen less than 2.5 goals scored.
Dynamo Kiev vs Astana Bet365 Odds
Dynamo Kiev 1.7 (7/10)
Draw 3.6 (13/5)
Astana 6.25 (21/4)
Bet365 have slashed the odds on a draw or Astana win because of Dynamo Kiev’s poor form. It wouldn’t be surprising to see FC Astana come away with at least a point from this visit.
Draw or Astana win 2.2 (6/5)