On Tuesday, Khairat Almaty will host Club Brugge at the Astana Arena in the league stage of the UEFA Champions League, marking the first official match between both teams.

The Kazakh champions sit bottom of the league table and know that dropping any more points would mathematically mean the end of their European tour, while the Belgian side arrived with hopes of breaking into the top 24 and securing a place in the play-off rounds.

Match preview

Kairat Almaty qualified for the competition by winning the 2024 Kazakhstan Premier League, ensuring their first appearance in the main competition of the Champions League, and heading into Tuesday’s match against Club Brugge in the first round of the UEFA Champions League, looking for momentum from their historic but grueling debut at Europe’s top level.

The landmark feat came with a steep learning curve, as Rafael Urazbakhtin’s side struggled to translate their domestic success into European performances against far more experienced opponents, winless in their last 12 matches in the UEFA group stage or league phase with three draws and nine defeats, leaving them at the bottom of the table with just one point from six games.

Their most recent appearance in the Champions League ended in a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Olympiakos in December, and although they gained some momentum away to FC Copenhagen in November, they lost 3-2, with defensive failures ultimately overshadowing their attacking promise.

In early November, the Kazakh champions put in a competitive performance at the San Siro, but lost 2–1 to Inter Milan, continuing their winless run. Meanwhile, their only point in the league came in October, when they drew 0-0 at home to Paphos, and although there was some encouragement on the defensive side, there was little reward in attack.

The magnitude of the challenge at this level was highlighted in September when Kairat lost 4-1 away to Sporting CP and then lost 5-0 at home to Real Madrid, scoring four and conceding 15 goals in six league games.

Due to the winter weather in Almaty, UEFA approved the relocation of the match to Astana Arena. While the retractable roof ensures suitable playing conditions, it removes some of the familiar atmosphere that tends to accompany Kairat’s home matches.

The match was the first UEFA competition between Kairat Almaty and Club Brugge, with neither team having played against the other before.

©Icon Sports/Baptiste Fernandes

©Icon Sports/Baptiste Fernandes

Club Brugge have very strong European pedigree and have been regular participants in UEFA competitions over the past decade, not least with a dominant aggregate victory over Rangers, making their way through the qualifying rounds strongly and securing qualification to the 2025-26 Champions League league stage.

Despite that experience, Ivan Leko’s side’s league season was marked by inconsistency, with intermittent displays of attacking quality but struggling for defensive consistency against elite opposition, resulting in a stop-start rhythm in the European season.

Their most recent Champions League encounter, which ended in a 3-0 defeat at home to Arsenal in December, highlighted the gap between Brugge and one of the competition’s strongest teams, and continued domestically as attacking power was not always supported by defensive solidity.

Brugge’s latest competitive game ended on Friday with a surprise 3-2 home defeat against La Louvière in the Belgian First Division. This came after a comfortable 5-3 away win against Genk in December, followed by a narrow 2-1 home win over Gent in the same month.

They were particularly impressive last month when they thrashed Dender 5-1 at home and showed depth and efficiency in the final three, but their familiar defensive vulnerabilities resurfaced in the 3-2 away defeat to Sint-Truiden in which a late concession proved decisive.

In their last six games, Club Brugge have won three and lost three, scoring 19 goals and conceding 15, highlighting not only their attacking threat but also their problems at the back.

Kairat Champions League Form:

Kairat Form (all sports):

Club Brugge Champions League format:

Club Brugge form (all competitions):

team news

© Imago / Ball Raw Images

© Imago / Ball Raw Images

Chelsea’s Dastan Satpayev is eligible to rejoin Kairat Almaty’s squad for Tuesday’s Champions League game, despite missing the defeat against Olympiakos due to suspension for accumulated yellow cards.

The Almaty-based side strengthened this month by signing Brazilian centre-back Lucas Africo, but if Khairat somehow reaches the finals, he will not be eligible until the finals.

Ofri Arad is the only confirmed absence for the hosts due to injury, but the defender is expected to be back in time for Kairat’s final league match against Arsenal later this month.

Club Brugge will be without their first- and second-choice goalkeepers, with former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet expected to miss the majority of the season with a muscular injury, with Nordin Jackers forced off just 19 minutes into the weekend’s defeat to La Louvière.

Dani van den Heuvel therefore returns to the starting line-up for the first time since missing out to the Jackers last year and is expected to start in goal, while Joel Ordonez can feature in defence, as his current suspension only applies to domestic competitions.

Christos Tzoris, Romeo Vermant and Lin Audor are also doubts after Nigeria won the bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, while Rafael Onyedika, who played the full 90 minutes, is also unlikely to feature.

Kairat’s starting choices:

Analbekov. Mata, Sorokin, Martinovic, Taparov. Casabrat, Glaser, Gromyko, Ricardinho, Satpayev, Edmilson

Expected starting lineup for Club Brugge:

Van den Heuvel. Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechere, Seis. Vanaken, Stanković, Tsolis, Fetlesen, Tresoldi, Diahon.

We say: Kairat 0-1 Club Brugge

Kairat Almaty come into this match with little room left to play in this competition, and their form since the winter break, combined with the squad’s ongoing problems, shows little sign of an imminent turnaround.

Club Brugge, in contrast, are firmly aiming for a place in the play-offs and see this match as an opportunity to take advantage of a vulnerable opponent and secure important points.

The visiting team enter this contest as clear favorites and with qualification still within reach, Brugge will be expected to approach this game with a sense of urgency and purpose as they aim for an important victory.

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