The first leg of the 2025/26 Champions League qualifying playoff between Celtic (Scotland) and Kairat (Kazakhstan) will take place on August 20 at Celtic Park in Glasgow. Celtic vs. Kairat: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Celtic
Brendan Rodgers' team starts from the playoff round thanks to their championship victory. The last time the club began their Champions League qualification from the early stages was in 2021, and they failed to reach the main draw of the tournament. However, since the 2022/23 season, the Scots have started from the main stage of the Champions League three times, and in the last edition, they even reached the round of 16 of this European competition, but lost to Bayern Munich on aggregate (1:2 and 1:1).
- In the last 25 Champions League matches, Celtic have won only 4 times in regular time (9 draws and 12 losses).
- Both teams scored in 8 of Celtic's last 9 home matches in this tournament.
- The team conceded in regular time in 12 of their last 13 home games in this European competition.
Predicted lineup for Celtic (4-3-3)
Kasper Schmeichel – Kieran Tierney, Liam Scales, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston – Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren – Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, James Forrest.
Kairat
Rafael Urazbakhtin's team has already passed three stages of the Champions League qualification. First, they overcame Olimpija (1:1 and 2:0) and KuPS (0:2 and 3:0), and in the last round, they defeated Slovan Bratislava thanks to better penalty execution – 1:0 and 0:1, extra time 0:0, on penalties 4:3. If the Almaty team beats the Scots, they will reach the main stage of a European competition for the second time in their history (previously, the team only participated in the Conference League group stage).
- The Kazakhs have not lost in regular time in 7 of their last 10 Champions League matches (5 wins and 2 draws).
- At least one team failed to score in 5 of Kairat's last matches in this tournament.
- The club has not won in their last 6 away matches in this European competition (2 draws and 4 losses).
Predicted lineup for Kairat (4-3-3)
Alexander Zarutskiy – Alexander Martynovich, Egor Sorokin, Luis Mata, Erkin Tapalov – Valery Gromyko, Ofri Arad, Dan Glazer – Edmilson Filho, Jorginho Costa, Dastan Satpayev.
Referee
Espen Eskas (Norway)
Matches – 15 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 62;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 27%.
Celtic vs. Kairat: Match Prediction
The Scots are rightly considered favorites in this encounter. The club consistently participates in the Champions League, even at the main stage. Celtic is particularly strong at home: in their last 6 home matches in the Champions League, they have won 4 times with 1 draw, losing only to Bayern Munich.
In my view, the Kazakhs are significantly weaker. Even reaching the playoff for the main stage of the Champions League is a great success for them. However, the Almaty team reached this stage thanks to home victories, whereas they are not as strong on the road and have yet to win away in the qualifying rounds. This season, Kairat lost away to Slovan (0:1) and KuPS (0:2).
I believe the hosts will secure a confident victory in the first leg. My prediction – Celtic with a handicap (-2)
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match.
