Wednesday's Champions League predictions: Astana should establish first-leg lead at home
- There are five first-leg ties in Champions League qualifying on Wednesday
- Recommended bets:
- Astana to beat Dinamo Tbilisi
- Over 3.5 Goals in Hacken vs The New Saints
The first qualifying round of the Champions League continues on Wednesday with five more first-leg ties featuring clubs dreaming of a place at Europe's top table.
Larne of Northern Ireland face a tricky trip to HJK Helsinki, while other highlights on Wednesday's coupon include Hacken versus The New Saints in Sweden and Astana's home clash with Georgian champions Dinamo Tbilisi.
Astana vs Dinamo Tbilisi (Wednesday, 3pm)
The stats
Astana have won five of their last six home Champions League qualifying ties, including a 4-3 victory over Celtic in August 2017.
The hosts have kept nine clean sheets in their last 15 Kazakhstan Premier League fixtures.
Both teams have scored in eight of Dinamo Tbilisi's last nine games in all competitions.
Prediction
The champions of Kazakhstan and Georgia meet at the Astana Arena and home advantage should prove decisive for Astana.
They were knocked out of the Kazakh Cup last week but had been unbeaten in 15 games before that extra-time defeat to Ordabasy and have a proud home record in Champions League qualifying.
While Astana are top of the table in Kazakhstan, Dinamo Tbilisi have made a stuttering defence of their title in Georgia. They sit fourth in the table, eight points behind leaders Dinamo Batumi, and have lost all three of their matches against the teams above them.
Dinamo's leaky defence has been an issue, conceding 28 goals in 19 league fixtures, and they may come up short against a solid Astana side who have won 12 of their 16 Premier League matches this term.
Hacken vs The New Saints (Wednesday, 6pm)
The stats
Hacken are the leading scorers in this season's Allsvenskan with 38 goals in 15 matches.
Nine of Hacken's last 15 league games have featured over 3.5 goals.
The New Saints have lost four of their last five away Champions League qualifiers to nil.
Prediction
Welsh champions The New Saints lost 2-1 on aggregate to Linfield after extra-time in last season's Champions League qualifying, but their first leg against Swedish side Hacken is likely to be far less cagey.
Hacken are flying high in the Allsvenskan thanks to their attacking brand of football, averaging 2.53 goals per game, and they could prove too sharp for The New Saints' defence.
The hosts have been particularly prolific at home in the Swedish top flight this season, winning six of their seven games by scorelines of 4-1, 3-0, 3-1, 3-1, 6-1 and 4-1.
The only blot on Hacken's home record was a 3-1 defeat to Kalmar and they should be confident of taking charge of the tie in style so over 3.5 goals looks a good bet.
The favourites have kept only three clean sheets in 15 league fixtures this term so the visitors could contribute to the goal tally in an entertaining contest.
