We break down what to expect from the upcoming U-18 fixtures.
Irtysh – Zhas Kyran
Irtysh sit bottom of the table with eight points – interestingly, all of them have been earned in Pavlodar. There is also a striking contrast in their goal difference: 9:10 at home compared to 5:33 away. All of this shows just how important home advantage is for the season’s bottom side.
Meanwhile, Zhas Kyran ended their three-game losing streak last matchweek by beating Kaisar 3:1 at home. The Almaty side are currently fourth with 20 points.
Zhas Kyran won the first meeting 4:1. Irtysh will be without Timur Titarenko for the return fixture – the defender, who has scored three goals this season, was sent off in the previous matchweek.
Taraz – Astana
A meeting between direct neighbours in the standings: both teams have 15 points and identical records of four wins, three draws and seven defeats. Astana are eighth, with Taraz ninth.
Their current form, however, is very different. Taraz come into the game on the back of two consecutive victories, the latest of them in Pavlodar, while Astana are winless in five matchweeks – with two draws and three defeats.
Taraz are heavily dependent on home advantage, having collected 11 of their 15 points on their own ground. Astana, meanwhile, have one of the lowest away scoring records in the competition – with just six goals in seven matches. Still, Astana won the first head-to-head meeting in the capital 3:1.
The hosts’ main attacking threat is Rasul Nurmanbay: eight goals, four of them from the penalty spot, and two assists, putting him fifth in the scoring charts. For the visitors, Amandyk Khamidullin stands out with five assists.
Kairat – Tobyl
Kairat have been flawless this season: 14 wins from 14 matches, 63 goals scored, only five conceded and an 11-point lead over their nearest challengers, Shakhter.
That makes it all the more interesting that Tobyl caused the leaders more problems than anyone else in the first round. Kairat managed only a 1:0 victory in Kostanay – it remains the only match this season in which the Yellow-Blacks have scored fewer than three goals.
Tobyl are one of the competition’s most unusual teams: seventh place, 19 points and a perfectly even goal difference of 14:14. Daniil Nurzhanov, meanwhile, has the best save percentage among goalkeepers who regularly start, stopping 81% of the shots he has faced.
Attack is another matter: Tobyl have scored just three goals in seven away matches. At the other end are Daulet Orynbasar (17+4) and Roman Chernomorets (11+3), the first- and third-highest scorers in the league. Can the visitors’ defence hold out?
Ordabasy – Kaisar
Ordabasy come into the game after a rare setback: the Shymkent side lost 0:2 to KFF Academy last matchweek, ending a five-game winning streak. They nevertheless remain third, while they rarely drop points at home – where they have four wins and two draws.
Kaisar, meanwhile, are on a three-game losing streak and sit tenth with 12 points. The Kyzylorda side have won only once in seven away matches, conceding 20 goals. The Wolves’ attack relies heavily on two players: Madi Zhenisuly (6 goals and 1 assist) and Yernar Parda (5+4) have accounted for more than half of the team’s goals.
Ordabasy won the first meeting in Kyzylorda 4:1. The hosts will be without Diyarbek Abdirazakov in the return fixture after the midfielder accumulated too many yellow cards. Adilbek Turdakh, however, is available and ranks in the top five for both goals and assists in the competition (9+5).
Shakhter – Aktobe
The Karaganda side have been outstanding at home: Shakhter have won all seven of their home matches and conceded only once – against Caspiy.
Aktobe are one of only four teams to have held Shakhter to a draw: the first meeting in Aktobe ended 1:1. The Red-Whites are currently sixth with 19 points, although they suffered a heavy 0:4 home defeat to Kairat last matchweek.
The hosts will be without Daniyal Nazarov, with the midfielder suspended following a red card. Shakhter’s main weapon is, of course, Rasul Akimov, the league’s second-highest scorer with 13 goals and four assists.
For the visitors, league-leading assist provider Ayan Amanzhulov (5+7) stands out alongside Bikzhan Zhanayev, who has scored seven goals in just ten matches. Both are worth keeping in mind when putting together your Fantasy QJ League squad.
Caspiy – KFF Academy
KFF Academy come into the match on a three-game winning streak, the latest victory being a 2:0 home success against Ordabasy. The youngest team in the flagship competition have collected 20 points, drawing level with Zhas Kyran and sitting fifth in the standings.
Caspiy recorded their first draw of the season last matchweek: before the 1:1 result in Kostanay, the Aktau side had registered only wins and defeats. They are 11th with 10 points.
Caspiy have already shown that they are capable of producing surprises – their emphatic 5:1 away victory over Astana remains one of the most unexpected results of the season.
KFF Academy won the first meeting 4:0 – Caspiy’s heaviest defeat of the campaign. Can the Aktau side get their revenge at BS Arena?
