Kairat Almaty vs Panathinaikos — Tips & Analysis

Kairat Almaty +1: The number that matters most here is how rarely Kairat get beaten badly. They have lost by 2 or more goals in just 3 of their last 20 games. That is the whole case for keeping this close. Kairat are a different team at their own ground, where they have won 8 of 11. Taking all their games together, they score almost 2 goals a game and let in under one. Panathinaikos are the better side and they will keep the ball for long spells. They have won 12 of their last 16 and lost only one. But they win their away games tight rather than wide. They have taken six of their last seven on the road and let in under a goal a game there, and they score less on the road. They are short up front too. Andraz Sporar has not travelled and Azzedine Ounahi is out, so the visitors look short of someone to finish what they make. Then there is the trip itself. Almaty is the longest and most awkward journey in European football, and it tends to flatten the better team. A 1-1 looks the likely finish, with Panathinaikos passing it around and Kairat taking something from a set piece or a break. The worry is clear. Kairat's only two games against a big European side were a 0-3 at home and a 0-3 away to Anderlecht in August. We still think they stay in this one.