Will the Kazakh dream live on?
Have you ever heard of Kokpar and Audaryspak? These are two national sports that are still widely played in Kazakhstan. One is a somewhat macabre-looking horseback game involving a goat carcass, the other is human wrestling on horseback. However, soccer remains the number one national sport.
Ten years after FK Astana’s sensational participation in the Champions League group stage, Kairat Almaty is now the second team from the resource-rich country to reach the 36-team main field. However, there is still a long way to go before the new league phase begins, because even if the Kazakh champions come out on top in the return leg against Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday evening, they will still have two brutally difficult playoff matches against Celtic Glasgow to contend with…
The first leg a week ago ended in a well-deserved 1-0 home win for the underdogs, who have had a fantastic Champions League qualifying campaign so far. In the first round, Olimpija Ljubljana was brought to its knees. In the second round, the Kazakhs fought back from a 0-2 defeat in Kuopio, Finland, with a 3-0 win at home, earning themselves two matches against the Slovakian champions, who, as is well known, competed against Europe’s best club teams in the Champions League group stage last year.
Although the home side are in a different league in terms of international experience and the overall value of their squad, my Slovan Bratislava vs. Almaty prediction is for a tough game in which coach Vladimir Weiss’s players will probably have to be patient. This assessment also explains why I expect a return leg with no more than two goals in regular time.
In my opinion, the 2.10 offered by the Interwetten app for under 2.5 goals is good value, especially since FK Kairat has only conceded more than one goal in three of the 19 league and five European cup games it has played so far this season, keeping a clean sheet ten times. The underdog can defend compactly and, thanks to their decent starting position, will do everything they can to slow down the rhythm and disrupt the flow of the game. The under 1.5 after 45 minutes is also a welcome boost for combination bets with Slovan Bratislava vs. Almaty betting odds of up to 1.50!
Slovan Bratislava – Almaty Head-to-head record / H2H record
In the first leg a week ago, Kairat Almaty was the dominant team, firing 17 shots on goal and setting the tone, especially after Slovan’s Ibrahim was sent off with a second yellow card in the 68th minute. However, it took until the 90th minute before top talent Dastan Satpaev converted a penalty to make it 1-0. Six minutes later, a goal by Ricardinho was disallowed, which would have made it 2-0.
But back to Satpaev, who took responsibility at the tender age of 16 and now has two goals and one assist in the Champions League qualifiers. In the league, the young man, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Tuesday evening, has 14 points!
Slovan Bratislava – Almaty Tip
Last season, Slovan Bratislava went through the eight games of the Champions League qualifiers without defeat, earning a well-deserved ticket to the league phase. Things are not going as planned for the Slovaks in 2025/26. They have only won two of their five competitive games. Both victories were celebrated at home.
The Weiss XI are also favorites against Kazakh outsiders Kairat on Tuesday evening. However, it will not be an easy task, especially as the visitors are very good defensively and, thanks to their 1-0 win in the first leg, have no reason to abandon their defensive structure. Not even if they find themselves 1-0 down. Therefore, many goals are not to be expected.
In my opinion, it is therefore interesting to bet on under 2.5 goals between Slovan Bratislava and Almaty. In the first leg a week ago, it took until the 90th minute for the ball to cross the line for the first time. Once again, the home side will have to be patient and at the same time make sure that the in-form and confident “people’s team” from Central Asia does not score on the counterattack.
