Sunday, July 13

[monks data]

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Champions League clash between Kairat and NK Olimpija Ljubljana, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Intro text here

---

Match preview

For a side that had just 35 percent of the possession, Kairat will be pleased to have emerged from Slovenia with something to hold on to, although they may also be left ruing what might have been on another day.

While the Kazakhstan outfit were second best for large parts of the encounter, they managed to draw first blood with their only shot on target as Dastan Satpaev struck just before the hour mark to hand them the lead.

However, that advantage lasted only seven minutes before being cancelled out, though escaping defeat on foreign soil keeps momentum in Kairat’s corner heading into this second leg, especially for a team that has made their home ground a fortress in recent times.

Rafael Urazbakhtin’s side have won 11 of their last 12 matches at Central Stadium across all competitions, losing only once in that run and keeping clean sheets in six of the last eight outings on their turf.

The Team of the Nation have also maintained a perfect record in UEFA Champions League qualifiers in front of their own fans, having triumphed in all three such matches, including in 2021-22 — the only time they progressed beyond the opening round.

That season saw Kairat hold Maccabi Haifa to a 1-1 draw in Israel before sealing a 2-0 home win to advance, and they will aim to replicate that blueprint once again.

Progressing past the first stage is also familiar territory for Olimpija, who reached the second round of qualifiers during the 2023-24 season.

Although the Slovenian outfit held a stronger position on that occasion, having taken a 2-1 lead from the first leg against Valmieras FK, they still backed it up with an identical scoreline in Latvia, showing the Dragons are capable of seeing out ties on their travels in the UCL preliminaries.

Olimpija will hope for a similar outcome here, but their recent away form raises concern, as they are winless in their last five matches on the road across all competitions.

However, Joao Simao’s men have proven hard to beat during that spell, avoiding defeat in four of those five fixtures, with their most recent trip ending in a goalless draw — the only match in that run where they failed to find the net or concede. <

Kairat Champions League form:

Kairat form (all competitions):

NK Olimpija Ljubljana Champions League form:

NK Olimpija Ljubljana form (all competitions):

---

Team News

Head coach Urazbakhtin handed Aleksandr Zarutskiy the nod between the sticks in the opening leg, and the 31-year-old is expected to retain his place for the return fixture.

There is likely to be little alteration to the side that started in Slovenia, with Jorginho and Satpaev both in line to keep their places in the three-man attack after linking up for the goal last time out.

Kairat will, however, be without Amirbek Barzabayev and Olzhas Baibek due to suspension, as both players are ruled out for disciplinary reasons.

The absentee list includes Elder Santana and Joao Paulo, who are still recovering from cruciate ligament injuries, while Luka Gadrani remains sidelined, having not featured since sustaining a torn ligament in January.

For the visitors, striker Pedro Lucas Schwaizer is yet to return from a knee injury that has kept him out since November last year, while defender Marko Ristic is also ruled out with a cruciate ligament issue.

Thalisson Charles is unavailable as well, serving a multiple-match ban following his red card for violent conduct in the 2024-25 UEFA Conference League match against Cercle Brugge KSV.

Kairat possible starting lineup:

Zarutskiy; Kasabulat, Martynovich, Sorokin, Mata; Sanojev, Glazar, Tapalov; Gromyko, Jorginho, Satpaev

NK Olimpija Ljubljana possible starting lineup:

Lubej-Fink; Blanco, Muhamedbegovic, Jelenkovic, Diga; Doffo, Agba, Pinto; Brest, Tamm, Mitrovski

---

We say: Kairat 2-1 NK Olimpija Ljubljana (Kairat win 3-2 on aggregate) 

 

Kairat’s strong home record and pedigree in Champions League qualifiers should tilt the balance in their favour, especially with Olimpija Ljubljana’s ongoing struggles on the road continuing to cast a long shadow.

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

---

---

 

---

ID:577278:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7327:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

---

Collect / Create New Data