Olimpija Ljubljana vs Kairat: UEFA Champions League Prediction (09.07.2025)

On July 9, 2025, at 00:00 WIB, the first qualifying round match of the UEFA Champions League will take place between Olimpija Ljubljana and Kairat. The club from Almaty will travel to Slovenia for the away fixture. The home side is considered the favorite going into this encounter. Let’s take a look at the current form of both teams and provide our prediction.

Olimpija Ljubljana

The Slovenian side is expected to enter this match in good physical condition. Although they are currently in the off-season, the Slovenian domestic league is scheduled to start on July 19, so preparations for the new season are already underway.

Olimpija are the reigning champions of Slovenia. They dominated the previous league campaign and displayed a strong defense, conceding only 20 goals in 36 matches. As for their performance in European competitions last season, Olimpija qualified for the UEFA Conference League and delivered a respectable showing – finishing 14th in the main stage, though they were eliminated in the first playoff round by Borac.

Kairat

Unlike their opponents, the players from Kazakhstan are currently in full match rhythm, as their domestic league is ongoing. On Friday, July 4, Kairat played their 16th league match against Turan and cruised to a 4–0 victory. This result reinforces the team’s strong form and ambition.

This season, Kairat has been performing very well and is once again competing for the league title, although they were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Kazakhstan Cup. The “yellow-blacks” have also been strong in away games, showing little difficulty playing under pressure from opposing fans. For instance, in the domestic league, Kairat has lost only once in 10 away matches.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

This will be the first-ever meeting between these two clubs, so no head-to-head statistics are available.

Prediction

For the match between Olimpija Ljubljana and Kairat, our prediction favors the visitors. It’s unclear how well-prepared the Slovenian side will be for this match, while the Kazakh club is clearly in competitive form. Moreover, the summer break in the Kazakhstan league comes at a perfect time, allowing Kairat to fully focus on the Champions League. In this situation, a bet on Kairat to win with a +1 handicap at odds of 1.62 looks like a solid option.