Astana v Chelsea: Prediction, Tips and Odds

With some serious miles to be clocked up and potential low temperatures of -14C, there’s plenty stacked up against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea as they prepare to face Astana in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday afternoon.

With Astana currently having their home ground renovated in the capital, the match will be taking place in the south of Kazakhstan in Almaty, meaning Chelsea will need to travel over 6,000km to make this game.

The Blues are by far the best team in the UEFA Conference League based on their perfect winning start to the tournament but Maresca’s men could well suffer their first slip-up in the icy conditions at Sportivnyy Kompleks Kaznu this week.

Astana v Chelsea betting tips and predictions

Astana or Draw - 9/4

Looking firstly to the double chance market and the 9/4 for Astana to win or draw this game jumps off the screen.

Conditions could be as cold as a bone-chilling -14C with high temperatures of -8C expected in Almaty.

The combination of travelling over 6,000km and the freezing conditions should work against Chelsea, who tend to shake things up in terms of selection for their UEFA Conference League games.

Astana are certainly not a team to be underestimated on their own patch as they are unbeaten in their last 13 home games in all competitions.

The quality of the grass pitch at Sportivnyy Kompleks Kaznu might also be questionable and could be far from the pristine surfaces Chelsea are used to in the Premier League.

Considering all the factors, and with Chelsea already sitting pretty at the top of the UEFA Conference League table and on course for the knockout stages, Astana in the double chance market makes sense at this price.

Under 2.5 total goals - 8/5

While Chelsea have thrashed some teams in the UEFA Conference League this season, the conditions in Almaty could make a high-scoring affair unlikely.

Astana will initially look to keep things tight in the opening stages to keep Chelsea’s fringe stars quiet, before potentially trying to nick a goal later in the game.

While a goalless draw in this contest also looks unlikely given some of the attacking players on show, this game might have only one or two occasions when the ball finds the back of the net.

With that in mind, going for under 2.5 total goals in the hostile conditions at Sportivnyy Kompleks Kaznu offers good value at 8/5.

Geoffrey Chinedu anytime goalscorer - 15/4

If the deadlock is to be broken then Geoffrey Chinedu is worth considering in the anytime goalscorer market for this one.

With five goals already in the UEFA Conference League this season, the Nigerian forward has risen to the challenge in this competition for the Kazakhstani Premier League outfit.

Also the top goalscorer for Astana in the league this season with seven goals, Chinedu is a key figure in the heart of the attack for the Yellow and Blues.

The 27-year-old is a forward playing with confidence and, given his form domestically and in Europe, Chinedu is well priced in the anytime goalscorer market to find the net against Chelsea.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.

Astana v Chelsea odds

Astana - 10/1
Draw - 17/4
Chelsea - 3/10

View the full market and more odds for Astana v Chelsea on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.