Roberto Martinez, the head coach of "Anderlecht", prepares his team for the upcoming Conference League qualification semifinal against Moldovan champions "Sheriff". The match is scheduled for August 7, 2025, at 23:00 Astana time, with the Belgian side heavily favored to advance to the next round.
"We respect every opponent in European competitions, but playing at home gives us a significant advantage," Martinez likely emphasized during pre-match preparations, with bookmakers giving his team a 76% chance of victory compared to just 7% for the visitors.
The Belgian powerhouse enters this fixture in good domestic form, having won both of their opening matches in the new league season. This contrasts sharply with their recent European disappointment. "Anderlecht" started their continental campaign in the Europa League second qualifying round, where they narrowly defeated Swedish side "Hacken" 1-0 at home, only to concede a last-minute penalty in the return leg, forcing extra time before eventually losing on penalties.
Interestingly, the Moldovan champions have struggled recently, only just breaking a five-match winless streak in their domestic league. "Sheriff" has already played four European matches this season, starting in the Europa League first qualifying round. They easily dispatched "Prishtina" 4-0 at home before losing 2-1 away, but then suffered comprehensive defeats to Dutch side "Utrecht" with an aggregate score of 2-7, forcing them down to Conference League qualification.
It's worth noting that these teams have history. They previously met in 2021 during Champions League qualification, with the Belgian side dominating both matches – winning 4-0 at home and 2-1 away.
The significant gap in quality between the Belgian and Moldovan leagues seems to favor the hosts substantially. Bookmakers reflect this disparity with odds of 1.16 for "Anderlecht" to qualify versus 5.25 for "Sheriff".
Can the Moldovan underdogs spring a surprise, or will the Belgian giants take a commanding lead into the second leg? The first 15 minutes might prove crucial, with odds of 2.83 for a goal to be scored during this opening period.
