FC Astra Giurgiu vs K.R.C. Genk
UEFA Europa League – Round of 32, 1st leg
Date: Thursday, 16th February 2017
Kick-Off at 18:00 UK / 19:00 CET
Venue: Stadionul Marin Anastasovici, Giurgiu.
expect an interesting match between Romanian side Astra Giurgiu and Belgian outfit Genk. Astra have the home advantage on the first match, however they failed to win any of the previous four home games so far in this competition. Astra played a draw against Roma, Viktoria Plzen and West Ham, while lost to Austria Vienna. On the contrary, they managed to win three of their four away matches, losing only in Italy. It is clear coach Sumudica has no problem to base his tactic on counter-attacks. He has some additional issues as two midfielders are suspended – Florin Lovin and Boubacar Mansaly have accumulated yellow cards and can’t play in the first match.
Genk played solid through the group stage and have obtained four victories in six matches. The away form wasn’t at desired level as they suffered two defeats on three matches played on road. However, Genk are in solid form at the moment. They have two victories and one draw in the last three matches in Jupiler League in which they kept clean sheets on all three fixtures. Coach Albert Stuivenberg has no suspension worries ahead of this match, but five players (Vanzeir, Karelis, Bizot, Susic and Dewaest) are struggling with injuries. Just to mention, Karelis is the club leading scorer. Another player should also be mentioned – Bailey left the club and joined Leverkusen.
Astra vs Genk: Head-to-head stats
This is the first ever meeting between Astra and Genk in a UEFA competitions. Neither of these teams have played against a club from their opponents’ country.
Astra vs Genk: Prediction
This is a very tricky affair as Astra are a team that likes to sit back and defend, while Genk prefer to take the attack to the opposition. However, Astra have conceded and scored in all their 6 Europa League home matches this season. While, Genk scored at least twice in their 5 away games in the competition. So, both teams to score looks like the perfect pick for me.
Astra vs Genk: Bet Tips
Both Teams to Score at 10/11 (1.91).
