Celtic take on the visitors Kairat Almaty in the first leg of UEFA Champions League Qualification final round. The match will be played on Wednesday, August 20th at Celtic Park (Glasgow).
Celtic have been the dominant force in Scottish football for nearly two decades. Yes, Rangers once managed to stop them from winning a 10th consecutive title, but since then Celtic have left their rivals behind again. In last season’s Champions League they also impressed, reaching the knockout stages and even pushing Bayern hard — almost beating them in Munich. Naturally, this time they will aim to at least repeat that run, especially since the squad has remained largely intact. The only major departure was Kuhn, who joined Como for almost €20 million, while Tierney returned from Arsenal to strengthen the side. The season has already started well: a 1-0 home win against St. Mirren and a 2-0 away victory at Aberdeen. In the League Cup, they advanced past Falkirk with little trouble. Celtic’s early form suggests they are once again ready to dominate domestically and prove themselves in Europe.
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Kairat have already surprised many, and more than once. The Yellow-and-Blacks, known in Soviet times as Lokomotiv Almaty, were a respectable club back then, and it was no surprise that they became champions of Kazakhstan in 1992. Since then they have added only three more league titles, but crucially they returned to the top spot last season after a four-year wait. Now they have a genuine chance to stay among the leaders of the Premier League, competing closely with Elimai. In the Champions League qualifiers, they have made plenty of noise. First, they faced heavy favorites Olimpija, holding them to a draw in Ljubljana before winning at home. Then came a remarkable comeback against KuPS — after a 0-2 loss in Finland, they crushed them at home. Against Slovan, they won 1-0 in Almaty thanks to a late penalty, and although they lost the return leg in Bratislava, it was only by a single goal. In the end, they advanced on penalties, coming within touching distance of the Champions League group stage. Kairat’s resilience and determination have made them a side not to underestimate.
This will be the first time the Kazakh club travel to Glasgow. It is clear that the Scottish champions are on a different level. At home, Celtic should be expected to win comfortably, with a handicap of -2.0 goals looking like the realistic bet.
Prediction for the match: Celtic to win with -2.0 handicap.
