Almaty to Host Key Champions League Play-off: Kairat vs Celtic

On August 26, FC Kairat will play Scottish side Celtic in a crucial return leg for the chance to qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history.

The match will take place in Almaty. The first encounter in Glasgow ended in a goalless draw. The winner of the two-legged clash will advance to the main stage of the Champions League, while the losing side will continue their campaign in the UEFA Europa League, The Caspian Post reports citing Kazakh media.

Kairat go into the decisive match after a run of poor results, as they have not managed to win any of their last three games. Nevertheless, the Almaty team have demonstrated strong results on home turf in this season’s Champions League qualifying, maintaining a perfect record and keeping clean sheets in all three matches. In their last six European home qualifiers, Kairat have conceded only twice.

The Kazakh side will be without young forward Dastan Satpayev, who has scored three goals and provided one assist in the qualification campaign. He received a yellow card in the first leg and will miss the decisive match due to suspension.

Celtic, in contrast, arrive in Almaty on the back of good form. The Scottish champions have won four of their last five matches, scoring ten goals in the process. The team remain unbeaten in their last four away fixtures in official competitions, with three victories and two clean sheets.