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The New Saints and Astana battle for three points in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.
The hosts are coming off a 16-0 thrashing of Llangolen in the Welsh FA Cup over the weekend. New Saints were nine goals up at the break and added a further seven in the second half to ease to the next round.
Astana, meanwhile, claimed a 3-0 win at Yelimay Semey in the Kazakhstani Premier League. Ousmane Camara and Marin Tomasov scored first-half goals before Ramadan Karimov came off the bench to put the icing on the cake with eight minutes left.
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The Yellow-and-Blues now shift attention to the continent, where their opening game was a 1-0 home win over TSC three weeks ago, while TNS fell to a 2-0 defeat at Fiorentina.
The New Saints vs Astana Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
- The New Saints have won one of their last seven home games in European club competition. losing twice.
- Astana have won one of their last nine away games in the group/league phase of a UEFA club competition, losing six.
- Seven of TNS' last eight competitive games have produced at least three goals.
- Seven of Astana's last 10 games across competitions have seen at least one side fail to score.
- Astana are on a 10-game unbeaten run across competitions, winning eight.
The New Saints vs Astana Prediction
The New Saints made history by becoming the first Welsh side to navigate the qualifying stages of a European competition. They gave a decent account of themselves in a narrow defeat to Fiorentina in their opener.
Craig Harrison's side have prepared for this game with a 16-0 thrashing in the cup, equalling a Welsh record. However, they won't have the full complement of home advantage, as this game is being played in Shrewsbury.
Astana, for their part, have won their last three games without conceding. Defensive solidity could be cruclal to ther hopes of success, as their games tend to be compact affairs.
Expect the two sides to share the spoils in a low-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: The New Saints 1-1 Astana
The New Saints vs Astana Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 1.5 goals
