Preview: Anderlecht vs Kairat - prediction, team news, lineups

RSC Anderlecht will welcome FC Kairat to Lotto Park on Thursday for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff, with the Belgian side holding a commanding 3-0 advantage from last week’s first meeting.

The Purple & White need only avoid a defeat by four or more goals to secure their place in the league phase, while Sary-Qaralar must score at least three unanswered goals to force extra time and keep their qualification hopes alive.

Match preview

Anderlecht took a commanding advantage away to Kairat as they moved closer to securing a place in the UEFA Europa League league phase.

Vitor Bruno’s side have enjoyed a perfect qualifying campaign so far, winning every tie to reach the play-off round, and they produced another impressive display in Kazakhstan.

Jaakko Oksanen’s own goal after just two minutes handed Anderlecht an early lead before Lukas Ambros doubled their advantage in the 24th minute.

Kairat’s task became even tougher when Aleksandr Shirobokov was sent off in the 38th minute, with Danylo Sikan adding Anderlecht’s third in first-half stoppage time.

The victory leaves the Belgian side with a 3-0 aggregate lead heading into Thursday’s second leg in Brussels, putting them firmly in control of the tie.

Anderlecht began their qualifying campaign against Sweden’s Hammarby, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory after a 1-1 draw away and a 3-1 comeback win at Lotto Park.

They faced a tougher test against Greek side PAOK in the third qualifying round but again prevailed 4-2 on aggregate to reach the play-offs.

Kairat’s bid for a second successive appearance in the Champions League league phase ended in the third qualifying round after consecutive 1-0 defeats to Levski Sofia.

Their drop into the Europa League has now left them facing a difficult route to the Conference League after a heavy first-leg defeat at home to Anderlecht.

Rafael Urazbakhtin’s side suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat at the Central Stadium in Almaty last Thursday after conceding twice inside the opening 25 minutes.

Kairat’s hopes of a comeback suffered another blow when Aleksandr Shirobokov received a straight red card in the 39th minute, before Anderlecht added a third seven minutes later to establish a commanding half-time lead.

Kairat had earlier made a strong start to their Champions League campaign by defeating Montenegro’s Sutjeska Niksic 4-1 on aggregate, winning 2-1 at home before securing a 2-0 victory away.

Their second-round tie against Omonia Nicosia proved far more difficult, with Edmilson’s 38th-minute header cancelling out a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Cyprus.

The tie went to extra time before Kairat eventually prevailed 6-5 on penalties after Omonia were reduced to nine men.

Their Champions League campaign then ended against Levski following two 1-0 defeats, leaving them with a 2-0 aggregate loss and a place in the Europa League play-offs.

The Kazakh champions now face a huge challenge in Belgium as they attempt to overturn a three-goal deficit against Anderlecht and secure a place in the Europa League league phase.

Anderlecht Europa League form:

DWWWW

Anderlecht form (all competitions):

DWWWWL

Kairat Europa League form:

Kairat form (all competitions):

LWWLLW

Team News

Anderlecht will be without Ilay Camara and Lucas Hey, who remain sidelined with foot injuries sustained during pre-season.

Killian Sardella is also a fitness doubt as he continues his recovery from surgery following a muscle injury picked up during pre-season.

Cedric Hatenboer will miss out after undergoing surgery on a broken nose suffered in training, although his limited involvement this season means his absence is unlikely to significantly affect Vitor Bruno’s options.

Nathan Saliba is also no longer available to Anderlecht after completing a permanent transfer to La Liga side Villarreal this week.

Kairat will be without Shirobokov, who was sent off in the first half of the first leg and is expected to serve a three-match suspension.

Urazbakhtin has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the return leg as he prepares his side for the difficult task of overturning a three-goal deficit.

Edmilson returned to the starting lineup in the first leg but was replaced after an hour, with 18-year-old forward Ismail Bekbolat coming on in his place.

Anderlecht possible starting lineup:

Coosemans; Augustinsson, Biancone, Petrot, Maamar; Llansana, M. Kana, Ambros; Nga Kana, Cvetkovic, Sikan

Kairat possible starting lineup:

Anarbekov; Tapalov, Baibek, Africo, Mata; Oksanen, Mrynskiy, Mendonca, Jukkola; Gual, Edmilson

We say: Anderlecht 2-0 Kairat

The damage appears to have already been done in this tie, but Kairat can still draw confidence from the fact that football can produce unexpected comebacks despite Anderlecht’s commanding advantage.

Kairat’s European qualifying campaign this year has left very little to desire, with only one win in three away matches across, however, overturning a three-goal deficit against Anderlecht in Belgium remains a formidable challenge, with the Kazakh side needing a near-perfect performance, which seems very unlikely.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.