Celtic Faces Kairat in Champions League Play-off Amid High Stakes

GLASGOW, Scotland — Celtic will host FC Kairat in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday, August 20, at Celtic Park. The match kicks off at 20:00 BST.

Kairat’s journey to Glasgow has been rocky. Having recently scrapped past Slovan Bratislava, they suffered a surprising 3-2 loss against Yelimay, which also ended their six-game unbeaten streak at home. Head coach Rafael Urakhtin expressed his frustration with the team’s performance, saying, “We made childish mistakes. We have no time to grieve; we fly to Scotland for the next match.”

The team now embarks on a lengthy 3,500-mile trip from Almaty, Kazakhstan, to face the Scottish champions. This match holds significance as Kairat has experience competing with Scottish teams, having previously eliminated Aberdeen from the Europa League.

Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, believes his squad is capable of securing the tie, noting, “I’m confident that the quality of our game can hopefully be enough to see us through.” However, he acknowledged the need for further improvements in squad depth, especially if they wish to compete effectively in future league phases.

One key player for Kairat is 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev, who has 22 goal involvements this season, including 13 goals. Despite his youth, he has already made an impact as a full international and is expected to transfer to Chelsea when he turns 18 next August.

Celtic has faced teams from Kazakhstan before, notably beating Astana in 2015, marking a significant milestone in the history of Kazakh football. Kairat aims to become only the second Kazakh club to reach the Champions League group stage.

Both teams are poised for an intense showdown as they seek victory, with Kairat desperately fighting to prove themselves on the European stage.