Preview: Kairat vs Levski Sofia - prediction, team news, lineups

Kairat Almaty host Levski Sofia at the unfamiliar Turkestan Arena on Tuesday, needing to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach the UEFA Champions League playoff round, where AEK Athens await the winners.

The Kazakh champions were originally scheduled to stage the second leg at their usual Almaty Central Stadium, but a Kanye West concert scheduled for August 14 forced the club to request a venue change from UEFA due to concerns over the turnaround time for the pitch.

Match preview

Levski head into the second leg with a slender advantage after Serginho struck in the second minute of stoppage time to settle a tense first meeting in Sofia.

The result was particularly frustrating for Kairat, who failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, and therefore need a significant improvement in the final third if they are to overturn the deficit and keep their Champions League dream alive.

Rafael Urazbakhtin's side have otherwise enjoyed an impressive run of form, losing just twice in their last 12 matches across all competitions while winning nine of those games.

Kairat have also won their last five home matches, although the switch to Turkestan Arena means they will not have the benefit of playing at their familiar home ground.

The Kazakh champions have already demonstrated their ability to cope with pressure during this qualifying campaign, eliminating Omonia Nicosia on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw in the previous round.

However, another 1-0 result would not be enough this time, meaning Kairat must find a way through a Levski defence that has been exceptionally difficult to break down.

Levski, meanwhile, followed their first-leg success by beating Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2-0 in the Bulgarian league on Friday.

That result extended Julio Velazquez's side's unbeaten run to 16 matches across all competitions, with 11 wins and five draws during that period. They have also kept 10 clean sheets during that sequence.

The Bulgarian champions have enjoyed a superb Champions League qualifying campaign so far, defeating Borac Banja Luka 5-1 on aggregate in the first round before edging Universitatea Craiova 3-2 in the second.

Their domestic success has also provided a strong foundation, with Levski winning their first Bulgarian title in 17 years last season after beating CSKA 1948 1-0 in May.

A draw in Kazakhstan would be enough to take Velazquez's side into the playoff round, where they would face AEK Athens.

With Levski having conceded just once in their last four matches, the visitors have every reason to believe they can frustrate Kairat once again and protect their advantage.

Kairat Champions League form:

Kairat form (all competitions):

Levski Sofia Champions League form:

Levski Sofia form (all competitions):

Team News

Kairat have no fresh injury concerns following the first leg, leaving Urazbakhtin with a fully available squad for the decisive encounter.

The venue change will nevertheless be an adjustment for the hosts, who will be playing at Turkestan Arena rather than their usual home ground.

Ismail Bekbolat is pushing for a starting role after coming off the bench in Sofia. He has contributed one goal and two assists in Champions League qualifying this season and could provide an additional attacking threat.

Levski also have a fully fit squad available after Velazquez rested several regular starters against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

The Spanish coach is therefore expected to restore his strongest XI as his team look to protect their narrow advantage.

Reinaldo scored Levski's second goal in Friday's league victory and has already scored twice in Champions League qualifying this season, with both goals coming after half-time.

Kairat possible starting lineup:

Anarbekov; Mrynskiy, Africo, Martynovich, Machado; Oksanen, Mendonsa, Baybek; Jukkola, Edmilson, Gual

Levski Sofia possible starting lineup:

Vutsov; Neves, Dimitrov, Serafimov, Plaza; Serginho, Trdin, Moubarik; Reinaldo, Everton, Oko-Flex

We say: Kairat 1-1 Levski Sofia

Kairat's home advantage has been diluted by the switch to Turkestan, and their complete lack of a shot on target in the first leg raises real doubts about whether they can find the goals needed to turn this tie around.

We expect Levski's watertight defensive record to hold firm again, with a draw on the night proving enough to send the Bulgarian champions through to a first-ever Champions League play-off round meeting with AEK Athens.

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