The draw against Kairat was a gift to Celtic. Let’s hope they accept it | OneFootball

If Celtic can’t beat Kairat Almaty we don’t deserve Champions League football…

Players of FC Kairat pose for a team photo prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 first qualifying round first leg match between Olimpija and Kairat Almaty at Stadion Stozice on July 08, 2025 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

When the draw for the final Champions League qualifiers was made a few weeks ago, most Celtic fans including myself felt like we got a hugely favourable draw when we were drawn to play either Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Almaty.

We already knew a lot about Slovan Bratislava, having battered them 5-1 last season in the Champions League and many thought it would be the Slovakian team which would ultimately get through the third qualifying round tie to meet us in the final playoff round.

Kairat Almaty proved a lot of us wrong by getting through

Jorginho of Kairat celebrates during third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League football match between SK Slovan Bratislava and Kairat Almaty. Bratislava, Slovakia, August 12, 2025. IMAGO / Branislav Racko

Kairat Almaty proved a lot of us wrong by getting through, courtesy of a penalty shootout, and will play Celtic over two legs for a place in the tournament proper over the next week.

I have been surprised by a lot of fellow Celtic fans reaction to this tie. When people thought it would be Slovan Bratislava we would meet to determine our Champions League fate, most had no fear and it’s understandable why.

As I mentioned earlier we absolutely steamrollered them in the league phase of the competition last year and many felt we should be more than capable of doing the same again. So why are we now getting worried about Kairat Almaty?

Players of Kairat celebrate during third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League football match between SK Slovan Bratislava and Kairat Almaty. Bratislava, Slovakia, August 12, 2025. IMAGO / Branislav Racko

Any team who gets to this stage deserves to be here and are obviously a decent side

Look before I go on let me say this. Any team who gets to this stage deserves to be here and are obviously a decent side. But let’s be real here. Apart from the travel side of things this draw is an absolute gift for Celtic. It’s the easiest draw we could have got and that’s a fact.

Kairat Almaty have done well to get to this stage but let’s have a look at who they beat up until this point. Round one they met Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana, progressing 3-1 on aggregate.

Next up was Finnish side KuPS, who they actually lost 2-0 to in the first leg before recovering valiantly to win 3-0 in the second leg to go through 3-2.

Then as we know they scraped through against Slovan Bratislava via a penalty shootout. We have absolutely nothing to fear here. The one thing I keep seeing mentioned is the travel. The thing is this is the same for Kairat as it is for us, and I have a feeling our players will possibly be travelling for the away leg in a bit more luxury than Kairat’s players will be travelling to Glasgow.

Celtic players pose for a photo on pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Last season Champions League campaign was much needed

Last season Champions League campaign was much needed. We did well in the league phase and were extremely unlucky to go down to a Bayern Munich team people said we had no chance against. We have proved ourselves more than capable of performing at this level and we retain the majority of the side that did so well in the competition last season.

Aberdeen v Celtic – Brendan Rodgers and Kieran Tierney after the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobson PSI (IMAGO)

Yes we have lost Kuhn and Kyogo and inexplicably haven’t replaced either yet but the nucleus of the team is still here, and with the likes of Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren coming in we have actually strengthened some areas.

Benjamin Nygren of Celtic celebrates scoring to give Celtic a 0-1 lead. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, 10 August 2025. Photo IMAGO/ Shutterstock, Stuart Wallace

The fact we have not added more new recruits during this transfer window, especially in the wide areas, is an absolute joke and the board deserve every bit of criticism being directed at them but this shouldn’t cloud the fact that Brendan Rodgers has more than enough at his disposal to get us through this tie.

We have been in this situation before regarding playing teams from Kazakhstan

We have of course been in this situation before regarding playing teams from Kazakhstan, and past performances may be the reason some are still feeling a bit of trepidation about this tie.

Back in 2013 we needed a stoppage time James Forrest goal to get us past Shakhtar Karagandy, then in 2017 we nearly collapsed out in Astana in the second leg, letting the home side get within two goals of us even though we had won the home game 5-0!

This time however we have much more experience of navigating our way through Europe, with trips to Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb and Bayern Munich showing we have finally worked out how to get a result on our European travels.

Much like we did to Astana, we should be going out on Wednesday night and burying this tie in the first leg. Then head to Kazakhstan and use all our game management skills to make sure we don’t make a mess of things like we did the last time we played in that country.

Celtic players should play with no fear

Callum McGregor of Celtic applauds the fans after the team’s victory in the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

When Celtic take to the pitch on Wednesday the players should have their heads up and their chests out and play with absolutely no fear. If you want to prove you are still a club amongst the elite in Europe then these are the sort of games you should be truly dominating. It’s what other big European clubs would do in such a situation.

If Celtic can’t swat aside a team like Kairat Almaty then we don’t deserve to be anywhere near the Champions League. This draw was a gift to Celtic. I hope they accept it.

Conall McGinty

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