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Anderlecht will host Kairat Almaty at Lotto Park in Brussels on Thursday, needing only to avoid a footballing catastrophe to seal their place in the league phase of the Europa League.
Vitor Bruno's side arrives with a commanding advantage from the first leg in Almaty, where Kairat struggled and never threatened a way back into the tie.
On the other hand, Rafael Urazbakhtin's Kazakh champions face an almost impossible task, needing three goals to force extra time.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Anderlecht vs. Kairat key stats
- Anderlecht remain unbeaten in their last five European fixtures, recording four victories and one draw.
- Kairat have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last three away matches across all competitions.
- Anderlecht have won their last three home games across all competitions.
Anderlecht vs. Kairat preview: Home team edge closer to the league phase
Anderlecht vs. Kairat — Tale of the Tape
| Anderlecht | vs | Kairat |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | Position | 2nd |
| 3 | Points | 48 |
| 2 | Goals For | 42 |
| 2 | Goals Against | 15 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 10 |
| 9th/12th | Home / Away Rank | 4th/1st |
Anderlecht returned to winning ways with a commanding 4-0 victory over Kairat in the first leg of their Europa League qualifiers.
The Belgian side suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Beveren last weekend in their second league game of the season.
However, the result did not affect their hunt to qualify for the Europa League, as they blew away their opponent and are within touching distance of progressing to the league phase.
The result extended their unbeaten run in European qualifying to five matches and leaves them with little more than a professional performance required in Brussels.
Kairat, meanwhile, travel to Belgium, needing a near-impossible comeback after their heavy first-leg defeat.
The Kazakh champions had already been knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Levski Sofia before dropping into this tie, and their struggles in front of goal have continued in Europe.
Kairat did restore some confidence with a 3-1 victory in their domestic league at the weekend, but their hope of qualifying for Europe is slim.
They have had disappointing away games, having lost both of their away matches in the Champions League qualifying series without scoring.
They will need an extraordinary performance to turn the tie around and will need to score five unreplied goals to avoid extra time and a penalty shootout to advance to the league phase
With Anderlecht holding a four-goal cushion and Kairat facing a significant deficit, the Belgian side should have few problems seeing out the tie and advancing comfortably.
Anderlecht vs. Kairat form guide & betting tips
| Anderlecht | vs | Kairat |
|---|---|---|
WWWLW |
Form | WLLWL |
| 9 | Goals For | 4 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 6 |
WWW |
Europa League qualification | L |
Whispers predicts: Anderlecht 3-1 Kairat
Anderlecht's dominant first-leg display and Kairat's toothless away form in Europe this season are the main factors behind our prediction.
The hosts should have little trouble controlling proceedings against a Kairat side already 3-0 down.
A repeat of their first-leg composure in front of goal looks likely given how comfortably they broke down the same opponent in Almaty.
The bookmakers have made Anderlecht heavy favourites, with home win odds sitting at 4/7 (1.57).
A draw is priced at 16/5 (4.20), while an unlikely away win for Kairat is at 15/4 (4.75), making them the underdogs.
Given how comfortably Anderlecht controlled the first leg, scoring three goals, over 3.5 goals looks a sensible option around 7/4 (2.75).
For both teams to score, the odds are given at 4/5 (1.80), while the home team total goals (over 1.5) are priced at 61/100 (1.61).
> Home to win at 4/7 (1.57) | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 3.5 goals at 7/4 (2.75) | Likelihood: Probable
> Both teams to score (yes) at 4/5 (1.80) | Likelihood: Probable
> Home team total goals (over 1.5) at 61/100 (1.61) | Likelihood: Possible