Matchday 6 of the 2024/25 Conference League group stage between APOEL (Cyprus) and Astana (Kazakhstan) will take place on December 19 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. APOEL vs. Astana: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 32;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.6;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 14%.
Predicted lineups for APOEL vs. Astana
APOEL (5-3-2): Vid Beleck – Konstantinos Laifis, Issam Chebake, Javi Quintilla, Mateo Susic, Radosav Petrovic – Georgi Kostadinov, Giannis Satsias, Sergio Tejera – Anastasios Donis, Youssef El Arabi.
Astana (4-2-3-1): Mukhammedzhan Seysen – Yan Vorogovsky, Alexander Marochkin, Kipras Kazukolovas, Karlo Bartolec – Branimir Kalaica, Aleksa Amanovic – Usman Camara, Max Ebong, Marin Tomasov – Chinedu Jeffrey.
The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.
APOEL
In their Matchday 5 game of the Conference League group stage, the team defeated Noah (3-1). This result extended the Cypriots' winning streak to three matches in this tournament. Thanks to these successful results, Manolo Jimenez's side climbed to 10th place in the Conference League standings, trailing the nearest team in the top 8 only on goal difference. Notably, the club has conceded just four goals in five group stage matches of the Conference League – one of the best records among all teams in this tournament.
- The club has won 6 of their last 8 home games in the Conference League.
- The team conceded in 5 of their last 6 home matches in this tournament.
- APOEL scored first in 6 of their last 8 home matches in the Conference League.
Astana
In the previous round, the team lost to the leader of this Conference League edition – Chelsea (1-3). This defeat extended the team's winless streak to four matches in this tournament (1 draw, 3 losses). The victory against TSC Backa Topola remains the only successful result for Grigory Babayan's side in the 2024/25 Conference League group stage. Ahead of Matchday 6, the club is in 28th place in the standings, with just a one-point gap from the playoff zone. Notably, the team has scored only three goals in five group stage matches – one of the lowest scoring records in this tournament.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 5 of Astana's last 7 Conference League matches.
- The club hasn't scored more than one goal in 5 of their last 6 away games in this tournament.
- A first-half goal was scored in 7 of Astana's last 10 away matches in the Conference League.
APOEL vs. Astana: Match Prediction
APOEL's matches in the Conference League are not high-scoring – the club values every point earned in European competitions and often plays cautiously. As a result, the "Total under 3" bet has been successful in 10 of the last 11 Cypriots' matches in this tournament (4 pushes).
Grigory Babayan's side also doesn't thrill fans with a plethora of goals in the Conference League. No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of Astana's last 7 matches in this tournament, with opponents scoring exactly three goals only once in this span. It's also worth noting that in the group stage, the club has already faced a Cypriot team – in Matchday 3, Astana played against Pafos, and that match was also low-scoring (0-1).
Let's also consider the standings. The Cypriots need points to qualify directly for the playoffs, while the Kazakhs need them to reach the playoff zone. In such crucial matches, teams often focus on defensive play and proceed cautiously. Therefore, my prediction: Total under 3
