This Europa League qualification match sees two teams based in Asia and the Middle East take each other on for the right to progress to the third qualifying round of the Europa League. Matches like this show the strange thought process that seems to go on in UEFA and FIFA when they decide which countries are in which confederation.
Kairat Almaty finished second in the Kazakh league in the 2015 season but have since added some star players to their squad in the likes of Andrey Arshavin, Anatoliy Tymoschchuk and Gerson Acevedo. This is a signal of their intentions to try and make Kazakh football have a bigger impact on the continental stage. However, at the moment they are currently second in the league and 10 points off top spot.
Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv got to the group stages of the Champions League last year but lost all of their games in a tough group. They are one of those sides that we often see in European football but seem to take little notice of, and perhaps with good reason given their poor record. Maccabi have won the Israeli championship a record 21 times but last season they lost out to Hapoel Be’er Sheva, hence why they are in the Europa League this year rather than the Champions League.
Given Maccabi’s European pedigree, it is strange to see that they are not the favourites against this Kairat side. However, the fact the Kazakh side are halfway through their season and up to full fitness (compared to the Israeli side who are still in pre-season), as well as their recent strong additions, makes them favourites.
Strangely, this game is being played at the neutral venue of the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia whilst another note is that both managers Kakhaber Tskhadadze (Kairat) and Shota Arveladze (Maccabi) are Georgian.
I think that Kairat are the team to side with in this one. Their fitness and match readiness should have see them put in a superior performance here. 6/5 is your best price on this bet with Ladbrokes.
Click here to see tonight’s other Europa League tip.