DEFEAT in Inverness last week has made it difficult for the Scottish side in this Europa League tie. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) gives us his thoughts.
Astra Giurgiu v Inverness CT | Thursday 19:00
A 13/5 winner in the first leg as Astra Giurgiu won 1-0 in Inverness, but in truth that was harsh on the Scottish side who matched the more experienced Romanians throughout.
Now though it gets really tricky for the Caley Jags as they travel to Romania to try and salvage the tie. Bet Victor make them 6/1 to win abroad but I'd be looking for a couple more points added to that price.
Despite that I think John Hughes' men can compete here. Aberdeen proved last week that Scottish sides shouldn't be fearful when travelling abroad and I can see them having a real go.
This is Inverness' first ever European campaign and they have nothing to lose and everything to gain in attacking Astra. Last week they had more possession, shots on target and six more corners so clearly managed to get at them.
This approach should of course leave them vulnerable and I can see Astra exploiting that on Thursday. This is a side who reached the group stages last season beating Dinamo Zagreb and drawing with Celtic. I expect they'll just be too savvy for the Scottish side.
I like Both Teams To Score here at 11/10 with Ladbrokes and I'll top that up with a punt on Over 3.5 Goals at 5/2 with BetVictor and a 14/1 poke on a 3-1 win for Astra.
I hope and expect Inverness to have a go, but ultimately they may be picked off in Romania.
Best Bets
Astra Giurgiu v Inverness CT – Both Teams To Score (11/10 Ladbrokes)
Astra Giurgiu v Inverness CT – Over 3.5 Goals (5/2 BetVictor)
Astra Giurgiu v Inverness CT – Astra to win 3-1 (14/1 William Hill)
