[Official TC Thread] FC Astana v. Celtic, CL 3rd Qual Rnd 1st Leg, Wed 27th July, 15.00pm ko, Premier Spor

Premier Sports
@PremierSportsTV
2h
working hard trying to arrange coverage of Celtic, Aberdeen & West Ham in Europe. Will know today/Monday.

 

I think BT will have the away leg and Premier will have the home leg.

Just like the Imps game.

 

Missing both of these if it's Wednesday for both games

 

BT have the rights to show the group stage games

 

Just cancelled Premier last week and now they're showing Celtic games ffs

 

sportsmania.....has everything....£26 for 6 months and good quality for streamed stuff.

 

So are Astana better than Qarabag from last season then? Think we scraped just by them if I remember the pattern of play correctly, but not sure what to expect from this team.

 

Really don't know much about them mate, I heard they don't score a lot of goals. The conditions over there will be pretty bad to play in, and I think I'd bite your hand off for a draw, as I think we could finish them off at home

 

Danger men going forward for Astana:

Azat Nurgaliev (on loan from FC Ordabasy) - 10 goals in 21 league games this season. Attacking mid/winger.

Tanat Nusserbayev - Current club captain and long standing player for them, attacking mid/winger. 140 games, 42 goals, 20 assists.

Đorđe Despotović - 6ft 3in Serbian centre forward, played previously with Red Star Belgrade and Kairat Almaty. 28 games 5 goals for Astana.

Junior Kabananga - 6ft 3in Congo international centre forward, played previously in Belgium with Cercle Brugge and Anderlecht. 28 games 7 goals for Astana. 2 assists for Astana in the CL group stage last year.

Patrick Twumasi - Probably Astana's best attacking player, can play anywhere in the forward positions. Scored 10 goals in 11 matches on loan to help Astana win the league in 2014. Signed permanently in 2015, overall record at Astana 82 games, 28 goals, 17 assists. Scored 2 goals in 2 games in the CL group stage last year after missing the first 4 group games through red card suspension.

 

Ibraimi is probably their biggest attacking threat.. No?

 

Wonder what they'll be thinking when they're looking at our danger men..

Griffiths - 51 games, 40 goals, 7 assists.
Roberts - 15 games, 8 goals, 3 assists.
Dembele - 46 games, 17 goals, 6 assists.(Fulham)

 

------------------------------Gordon---------------------------------

---------Lustig----------------Erik--------------Tierney-------------

---------------------Allan-------------McGregor---------------------

------Roberts-----------------Rogic--------------------Forrest------

---------------------Griffiths-----------Dembele--------------------

If Bitton gets fit somehow put him in for Allan, If a new CB gets signed for the wildcard then put him into Tierney's position and put Tierney out where Forrest is.

Go all out at them, they don't score a lot of goals and if we go for it all out attack they'll * themselves their good home record has to come to an end at some point.

With that team above I'd say we'll win this 2 or 3-0. If Brown and Armstrong are playing we may scrape a draw.

 

* me

 

Good shout, signed for them on 15 June.

Only managed 6 games, 0 goals, 1 assist.

By far their best 'experienced' player at a high level though.

Nearly 40 caps for Macedonia, CL and EL group stage experience with Maribor and has played in Serie A for a full season with Cagliari.

 

Gordon
Janko Lustig Sviatchenko Tierney
Brown Bitton McGregor
Roberts Griffiths Dembele​

But I wouldn't mind seeing Forrest getting another run through the middle. The pitch is a worry though.

 

* me That is horrendous, the team and the plan.
You want us to get scudded ?

 

What the * is that? We are away from home and you have ONE defensive player in the team.

 

Looking at both teams there's absolutely no denying we have a better player for player team.

The majority of the Astana team are players that have not ventured out of Kazakhstan.

14 of the 22 man squad are all Kazakhstani.