The first qualifying round match of the 2025/26 Champions League between Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Kairat (Kazakhstan) will take place on July 8 at the Stožice Stadium. Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Kairat: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Olimpija Ljubljana
The team won the recent Slovenian championship, earning them a spot in the Champions League. Their last participation in this tournament was in the 2023/24 season, where they passed two qualifying rounds before losing in the third round to Galatasaray (0-3, 0-1). Last season, the club competed in the Conference League but was eliminated in the first stage.
In June, Jorge Simao became the new head coach. The club's most expensive signing in the offseason was forward Dimitar Mitrovski.
- The Slovenians have conceded in six consecutive Champions League matches.
- At home, Olimpija has won 5 of their last 7 European matches (1 draw, 1 loss).
- At least one opponent failed to score in 11 of the team's last 12 home international matches.
Predicted lineup for Olimpija Ljubljana (5-4-1)
Matevž Dajčar – Ahmet Muhamedbegović, Diga, Veljko Elenković, Jan Gorenc – Diogo Costa Pinto, Peter Agba, Agustin Doffo, Dino Koić – Dimitar Mitrovski, Alex Tamm.
Kairat
The club earned the right to play in the Champions League by winning the recent Kazakhstan championship. This will be Kairat's third appearance in the tournament, with their previous participation in the 2021/22 season ending in a defeat to Crvena Zvezda over two legs (2-1, 0-5). Notably, the team has not appeared in European competitions for three years. Currently, in the Kazakhstan Premier League, Rafael Urazbakhtin's side is in second place.
- Kairat has lost 6 of their last 7 European matches (1 draw).
- At least three goals have been scored in 5 of Kairat's last 7 away international games.
- The club conceded exactly 1 or 2 goals in 10 of their last 13 away European matches.
Predicted lineup for Kairat (4-4-2)
Alexander Zarutsky – Damir Kasabulat, Alexander Martynovich, Egor Sorokin, Ofri Arad – Luis Mata, Valery Gromyko, Yug Stanoev, Dan Glazer – Jorginho Costa, Dastan Satpayev.
Referee
Christos Vergetis (Greece)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 11;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.2;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 20%.
Match Prediction: Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Kairat
Kairat has a significant advantage over their opponents. The Kazakhstan Premier League is in full swing, while the Slovenian championship has yet to start. Rafael Urazbakhtin's team's match fitness will be higher than Olimpija's. This factor may not be enough to secure a positive result, but the Kazakh side should pose problems for the home defense. Moreover, Kairat has been performing well in attack. They are the second-highest scorers in the current championship, and in their last 6 away European matches, the club scored 9 times.
Olimpija has failed to keep a clean sheet in six consecutive Champions League matches. The team's performances in July are quite telling, as the Slovenians were not in optimal form. In 2023, they conceded in all three of their Champions League matches in July. A year earlier, they also conceded in both matches against a team from Luxembourg. I believe Jorge Simao's side will struggle to contain their upcoming opponent's attack.
My prediction: Kairat Individual Total Over 0.5
