Conference League qualification, 1st round, first leg, Thursday, 11.07.2024 at 17:00
The European Championship isn’t even over yet, but the first teams are already fighting for tickets for the 2024/25 international competitions – including in the Conference League qualifiers, where the matches often resemble a geographical excursion.
We now travel together to Kazakhstan, where last season’s third-placed team is slightly favored against a Bosnian opponent. In my Aktobe FK Sarajevo betting tip, I’ll tell you why I’d back BTS to win
Aktobe – where exactly is that? Admittedly, I too often have to search for the representatives in the Conference League qualifiers to find out exactly where we’re actually coming out in Europe.
In this case, the path leads to Kazakhstan. FK Aktobe finished third there last season. However, we have to pay attention to the exact scheduling in Kazakhstan, because they play in the calendar year
Third place in 2023 secured their participation in the current qualifiers. Since the league has been back in action since the beginning of March, we actually have a good indication of where the team currently stands.
After 13 games, can we see a trend? Not really. Two defeats, four draws – from 0:0 to 2:2 – and six wins, the balance is slightly positive
Despite this: 2:2, 1:0, 3:4? The three most recent results alone show that it is anything but easy to follow a route here. In particular, the fact that they conceded 3:4 against Tobol Kostanay in their last game has some fans wondering.
They had conceded eight goals in the previous twelve games and now four in one match. How the team performs in their own stadium could also be important, as they have first home advantage in the Conference League qualifiers
Two wins, three draws and two goals conceded? Things were going really well at home before the strange 3:4, but now it’s hard to know exactly how this result will affect the players.
Incidentally, this will be the first time they have ever faced an opponent from Bosnia, so of course they have never played FK Sarajevo before. The squad doesn’t exactly shine with big stars either
Maksim Samorodov, an attacking player, is the only one with a market value in the seven-figure range, while we are looking in vain for internationally renowned names.
What about experience in European competition in general? Experience yes, but only when it comes to qualifications, as FK Aktobe have never made it any further
2023/24, it can almost be seen as a success that they made it through to the third round of qualifying, where Sepsi OSK were one size too big – no, by no means a big, well-known name!
Incidentally, both home games in the qualifiers were lost a year ago, so the home stadium doesn’t necessarily have to be an advantage. How do our betting providers assess the situation?
Admittedly, they are currently focusing on European Championship betting, including the semi-final between England and the Netherlands.
But if you prefer to bet on the winner between Aktobe and Sarajevo, you will find average odds of 2.00 to 3.40. The guests from Bosnia are not exactly one of the clubs we expect to see in the main competition.
What makes it so difficult for me to correctly assess the team? Quite simply, the fact that the Bosnian league hasn’t even started yet and there can therefore be no rhythm.
That’s why I have to take a look at the test matches at this point. There was, for example, a clear 1:4 defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk, which shows that they definitely can’t keep up with the big boys.
They lost 1-0 to Olimpija Lubljana, who are also internationally renowned, which does not suggest that Sarajevo are in a good mood, but perhaps the team will get off to a cold start on Thursday.
Does Aktobe have a decisive advantage over Sarajevo? While the home side have been back in rhythm since March, the season of the visitors from Bosnia is only just beginning.
Nevertheless, I have generally noticed that the Kazakhs are by no means unbeatable and have recently started to concede a lot of goals at home. They are definitely not a big name in Europe.
As this also applies to Sarajevo, I have decided to focus on a real betting classic and put up the following tip:
Both teams will score!
