Celtic vs Kairat: UEFA Champions League Prediction (20.08.2025)

On the night of Wednesday, August 20, at 21:00 CEST, Celtic Park in Glasgow will host the Almaty-based Kairat in the fourth qualifying round of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League. The home team reached this stage as Scottish champions, while Kairat advanced through all previous qualifying rounds, defeating Olimpija Ljubljana, KuPS Kuopio, and Slovan Bratislava in succession.

In the Celtic – Kairat matchup, bookmakers are highly unfavorable toward the Kazakh club. A bet on a home win for the “Celts” is offered at odds of 1.15, and advancing to the group stage at 1.05. For the “Yellow-Blacks,” the odds for the same markets are 17.50 and 10.00, respectively. Many goals are expected in the first leg, mainly from the home side: over 2.5 goals is priced at 1.39, while a bet on both teams scoring is at 2.16.

Celtic

Brendan Rodgers’ team has started the new season confidently. The “Green-Whites” defeated St Mirren 1:0 and Aberdeen 2:0 in the domestic league. Notably, the opponents created almost no danger near Celtic’s goal in these two matches. Celtic dominated possession, disrupting any opponent activity in midfield and their defensive zone. So far, the only disappointment for fans has been the central striker, Irishman Adam Idah, who has not been very effective up front, causing the team to miss scoring opportunities.

Kairat

In the second leg against Slovan, Rafael Urazbakhtin’s team was lucky to avoid conceding a second goal at one point. Robert Mak was close to scoring a brace, but the Almaty side held on and eventually won in a penalty shootout. Many experts in Kazakhstan noted the team’s good physical condition. The current leader of the Kazakh championship benefits from the domestic season being in full swing.

Against the Scottish giant, much will depend on the defense and the performance of Alexander Zarutsky. From Kairat’s Brazilian attack and Dastan Satpaev, sharp counterattacking moves are expected.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

This is the first meeting between the two teams in European competition.

Prediction

Celtic lacked sharpness in attack in the opening matches of the Scottish league, but their territorial dominance over opponents was absolute. It will be extremely difficult for the Kazakh team to seize the initiative and maintain possession. We recommend a bet on Celtic -2 handicap at odds of 1.72.