FK Sutjeska Niksic VS FC Kairat Almaty

Nikšić had a break of over a month after the Montenegrin First League ended. They only had three friendlies to regain their rhythm, but unfortunately, they suffered three consecutive defeats without scoring a single goal. There was an obvious disconnect between the intensity of these friendlies and the passing and receiving speed in actual games. In the first leg, Nikšić lost 1 - 2 away to Kairat Almaty. After Mrdaljević equalized in the 89th minute, Gual scored in injury - time, a devastating blow that severely affected their morale. On the other hand, Kairat Almaty's new Spanish striker, Marc Gual, has been in excellent form. Since joining in mid - June, he has scored five goals in five games. Playing as a false nine, he is both a great distributor and a clinical finisher. The front - line combination of Jorginho and new signings forms a strong attacking group. In the midfield, the double - pivot of Glazer and Sadebekov is balanced in interceptions and passing. However, Kairat Almaty has a problem. Their captain and defensive core, 38 - year - old Martinović, suffered a muscle spasm and was substituted at half - time in the first leg. His participation in the second leg is in doubt. The communication stability of the young central - defensive pairing under high - pressure away games is also questionable, which could be Nikšić's only chance to launch crosses and high - balls.