AFTER their heroics against Rijeka will Aberdeen continue their excellent Europa League form against Kairat Almaty? Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) looks at the odds.
Kairat Almaty v Aberdeen | Thursday 15:45
What an amazing result for Aberdeen in the last round. Their 3-0 win in Croatia over Rijeka must go down as one of the best performances by a Scottish side in European competition in the last few years. The Croats had a great run in the competition last year and even eventual champions Sevilla couldn't beat them in Croatia.
Now though the Dons task looks another mighty one as they face Kazakhstan outfit Kairat Almaty. Kairat sit top of their league and are unbeaten in 10 domestic games.
On top of that their performances in Europe this season have been strong. 1991 European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade were beaten home and away in the opening round and St Johnstone's conquerors Alashkert were next on their list with a comprehensive 4-2 aggregate win to boast about.
This looks a horrid match for the Dons. For starters they have to travel 3,415 miles just to get there, the longest journey ever recorded for a game in this competition. Their opponents haven't lost a home game in Europe for 13 years and have won five of their last six European matches in Kazakhstan.
I think Aberdeen just need to get in and out of this place quickly and hope not too much damage is inflicted on them. They can be confident of beating them back in Scotland but this could be a damage-limitation job.
The home side are 21/20 favourites which seems reasonably fair but instead I'll dabble in a couple of Correct Score prices. A 1-0 win for Kairat is 21/4 with 888 Sport and I'll top that up with a bet on 0-0 at 7/1 with Coral. I expect Aberdeen to keep it tight and hope to be in a strong position for next week's second leg.
Best Bets
Kairat Almaty v Aberdeen – Kairat Almaty to win 1-0 (21/4 888 Sport)
Kairat Almaty v Aberdeen – 0-0 Draw (7/1 Coral)
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