Kairat vs KuPS: UEFA Champions League Prediction (29.07.2025)

On Tuesday, July 29 at 22:00 WIB, local club Kairat will host KuPS from Kuopio at the Central Stadium in Almaty for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2025–2026 second qualifying round. In the first match, the Finnish side secured a strong advantage with a 2-0 home win over the Kazakh team.

For the second leg between Kairat and KuPS, bookmaker predictions slightly favor the team from Almaty in terms of a match win, but KuPS remains the stronger candidate to advance. A win for the home side in regular time is offered at 1.45, a draw at 4.40, and an away win at 7.35. To qualify, Kairat is priced at 2.75, while KuPS stands at 1.45. The match is expected to be moderately high-scoring, with over 2.5 goals offered at 1.81, and both teams to score at 2.01.

Kairat

Whether Rafael Urazbakhtin’s team deserved a 2-0 defeat on the road is debatable. Edmilson and Jorginho underperformed in attack, while Dastan Satpayev was only brought on midway through the second half. The team started well with decent collective play and effective pressing. However, the Finns gradually gained the upper hand, at least situationally. Despite an even midfield battle, the Kazakh players struggled to create clear chances near the opponent’s goal.

KuPS

After the first match, Jarkko Wiss praised his team for their disciplined defensive play. KuPS employed a two-tier defensive strategy: first pressing high in midfield, then falling back into a compact defensive line near their penalty area. Additionally, the forwards capitalized on their chances. In the 49th minute, young Guinean striker Mohamed Touré opened the scoring, and in the 71st minute, attacking midfielder Jaakko Oksanen doubled the lead. In the second leg, the Finnish side is likely to focus on a well-structured defense and search for counterattacking opportunities.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

In the first leg, Kairat led statistically in possession (53% to 47%), shots toward goal (12 to 9), and corners (10 to 5). However, KuPS was more efficient in shots on target, outshooting Kairat 7 to 5.

Prediction

The Finnish side demonstrated solid defensive skills. In the away match, they are expected to emphasize this strength, as maintaining their current lead may be enough. We predict that neither team will score in both halves, with odds of 1.75.