Dinamo Tbilisi vs Astana Prediction 19.07.2023 Champions League

• Competition: UEFA Champions League Qualifying
• Date: Wednesday, 19th, July 2023
• Kickoff: 17:00 UTC +1 / 18.00 CEST
• Venue: Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena (Tbilisi)

After the end of the first half of the season, the current champion Dinamo Tbilisi finds itself in fourth place of the top flight table with accumulated 34 points, which means that the defense of the title is not going in the right direction, because they are as much as eight points behind their namesake Dinamo Batumi, who are sitting on leading position. Otherwise, the Blue-Whites managed to boost their confidence ahead of the two-legged clash with Astana, as they won the Georgian Super Cup trophy in early July, defeating the current Erovnuli Liga leaders after penalties 4-3.

Unlike the Georgian side, Astana are much closer to defending their domestic title, since them and the current leader are separated by only one point - they added 38 points to their name after 16 Premier Liga rounds. However, the Yellow-and-Blues' confidence has been slightly dented ahead of their two-legged Champions League qualifying round against Dinamo Tbilisi, after they were knocked out by Ordabasy 0-2 in the Kazakhstan Cup semi-finals.

Dinamo Tbilisi vs Astana Betting Tips: Under 2.5

Astana failed to keep the early acquired lead through Abat Aymbetov in the 11th minute, as in the second half they allowed their rivals from Georgia to even think about a total turnaround. However, their terrible play paid the price and they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the end. Not wanting their Champions League adventure to end in the first qualifying round, both sides will adopt a cautious approach, meaning another low-scoring encounter is on the cards. Counting only the regular 90 minutes, Dinamo Tbilisi head into Wednesday's clash with three straight draws that ended 1-1. What, on the other hand, distinguishes Astana this season on their visits is iron defense, and this is best witnessed by the fact that they registered as many as seven clean sheets from nine away league fixtures. In addition, Dinamo Tbilisi's attacking line has proven to be sloppy, failing to score more than a goal in five of their last six games across all competitions. Considering the importance of the match, we see no reason why either team would take unnecessary risks, and therefore it would not be a surprise if the duel in Tbilisi ended goalless.