Preview: Kairat vs Slovan Bratislava - prediction, team news, lineups

Kairat will begin a Champions League qualifying tie on home turf for the first time this season when they welcome Slovan Bratislava in the opening leg of their third-round clash this midweek.

The Kazakhstan club had started both previous phases on the road before sealing progression with commanding displays in Almaty, and they will now look to strike first in what marks the maiden meeting between these two sides.

Match preview

Kairat’s adventure in the 2025-26 Champions League qualifiers has already been a landmark one, as this campaign represents their first-ever appearance at this stage of the competition.

The Team of the Nation began their journey with a 3-1 aggregate victory over NK Olimpija Ljubljana, having held the Slovenians to a 1-1 away draw before sealing the tie with a 2-0 win in front of their fans at Central Stadium.

Things were far less straightforward in the second round against KuPS, with Rafael Urazbakhtin’s men battling back from a two-goal deficit suffered in Kuopio to edge the tie 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a ruthless home performance.

Kairat had already flipped the script even before half-time in Almaty, as Dastan Satpaev struck in the ninth minute, Jorginho doubled the advantage just before the half-hour mark, and Valery Gromyko completed the turnaround two minutes before the break.

Their reputation for overpowering visitors in Champions League qualifiers was once again underlined with that emphatic display, which extended the Almaty club’s perfect home record across their three campaigns to five matches and gives them every reason to be confident heading into Wednesday’s clash.

Kairat come into this encounter on the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Ulytau at Central Stadium last weekend, making it five victories in their last six games at the ground (D1), with the result also keeping the Team of the Nation top of the Kazakhstan top flight.

Slovan also approach this tie in fine shape after dispatching Podbrezova 4-1 in the league over the weekend, leaving the Sky Blues second in the early standings while bidding to defend their domestic crown.

Their title triumph in the 2024-25 season earned them direct entry into the second qualifying round of the Champions League, where Vladimír Weiss’s men eased past Zrinjski with a 6-2 aggregate win.

The Sky Blues had already wrapped up the job in the first leg with a commanding 4-0 victory in Bratislava before playing out a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture, having come from behind to level in Mostar.

Regular campaigners in Champions League qualifiers, Slovan are featuring in the competition for the 12th time, and having made the league phase last season for the first time in over three decades, Belasi are determined to take another step towards repeating that feat by returning home with a positive result.

Kairat Champions League form:

Kairat form (all competitions):

Slovan Bratislava Champions League form:

Slovan Bratislava form (all competitions):

Team News

Giorgi Zaria will play no part for the hosts as the midfielder serves a suspension for the red card he received from the bench in the return leg against KuPS.

Urazbakhtin made a number of changes to the starting lineup for the weekend league outing, but goalkeeper Aleksandr Zarutskiy and the defensive quartet of Luís Mata, Aleksandr Martynovich, Egor Sorokin and Damir Kasabulat are expected to be restored.

Edmilson Santos, who grabbed the winner in their last match, should keep his place on the right wing, while Jorginho is likely to continue on the left, as both support Satpaev in attack.

Slovan do not have any suspension concerns in UEFA competition, but head coach Weiss is sweating over the fitness of left-back Sandro Cruz, who remains doubtful due to a muscle issue.

All eyes will be on 24-year-old centre-forward David Strelec to lead the line again, with the in-form striker having scored four goals in his last three appearances, including one in each leg of the previous round.

Kairat possible starting lineup:

Zarutsky; Mata, Martynovich, Sorokin, Kasabulat; Gromyko, Arad, Tapalov; Jorginho, E Santos; Satpayev

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takacs; Sharani, Kashia, Bajrict, Blackman; Ibrahim, Pokorny, Weiss, Tolic, Barseghyan; Strelec

We say: Kairat 2-1 Slovan Bratislava

While Slovan carry more European pedigree into this contest, Kairat’s formidable home record and the backing of their supporters at Central Stadium could tilt this in favour of the Kazakh side, although both teams are expected to find the net given the visitors have scored in each of their last four outings.

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