Wednesday's Champions League predictions: Astana should establish first-leg advantage on home soil

- There are five first-leg ties in Champions League qualifying on Wednesday  - Recommended bets: - Astana to beat Dinamo Tbilisi - Over 3.5 Goals in Hacken vs The New Saints

The first qualifying round of the Champions League continues on Wednesday with five more first-leg ties featuring clubs dreaming of a place at Europe's top table.

Larne of Northern Ireland face a tricky trip to HJK Helsinki, while other highlights on Wednesday's coupon include Hacken versus The New Saints in Sweden and Astana's home clash with Georgian champions Dinamo Tbilisi.

Astana have won five of their last six home Champions League qualifying ties, including a 4-3 victory over Celtic in August 2017.

The hosts have kept nine clean sheets in their last 15 Kazakhstan Premier League fixtures.

Both teams have scored in eight of Dinamo Tbilisi's last nine games in all competitions.

The champions of Kazakhstan and Georgia meet at the Astana Arena and home advantage should prove decisive for Astana.

They were knocked out of the Kazakh Cup last week but had been unbeaten in 15 games before that extra-time defeat to Ordabasy and have a proud home record in Champions League qualifying.

While Astana are top of the table in Kazakhstan, Dinamo Tbilisi have made a stuttering defence of their title in Georgia. They sit fourth in the table, eight points behind leaders Dinamo Batumi, and have lost all three of their matches against the teams above them.

Dinamo's leaky defence has been an issue, conceding 28 goals in 19 league fixtures, and they may come up short against a solid Astana side who have won 12 of their 16 Premier League matches this term.

Back Astana to win at 4/5 with LiveScore Bet

Hacken are the leading scorers in this season's