Kairat Almaty vs Anderlecht prediction 20.08.2026 | UEFA Europa League

Kairat return to Central Stadium after suffering Champions League elimination against Levski Sofia. Rafael Urazbakhtin’s side slipped to a late 1:0 defeat in Bulgaria before losing by the same scoreline in Almaty last week.

Kairat had previously eliminated Sutjeska and Omonia Nicosia before their narrow 2:0 aggregate defeat against the Bulgarian champions. 

The hosts bounced back to winning form last weekend with a 3:1 domestic victory against Ulytau.

Low-scoring outcomes have been frequent for the Kazakh champions. Each of Kairat’s last five European matches finished with under 2.5 goals scored. A total of seven goals were scored across those fixtures. 

Head coach Urazbakhtin has no confirmed new injury concerns ahead of Thursday’s first leg.

Edmilson should retain his place in the attacking line after scoring the winning goal in the UCL  second-round victory against Omonia.

Anderlecht make the long trip to Kazakhstan after their five-game unbeaten start to the season came to a halt with a 1:0 defeat at Beveren in the Belgian Pro League last weekend. 

Yoni Gomis’s first-half goal secured a surprise win for the home side.

The Paars-wit now come into Thursday’s Europa League playoff tie after coming through two difficult Europa League qualifying rounds.

Vitor Bruno’s side began their Europa League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Hammarby before claiming a 3:1 victory in Brussels to secure a 4-2 aggregate success.

Anderlecht then booked their place in this week’s final qualification round with a 4:2 aggregate victory against Greek opponents. A strong defensive display in Greece helped secure a 1:0 first leg win before a thrilling 3:2 success in the return at Lotto Park. 

Head coach Bruno has some selection issues this week. Killian Sardella and Ibrahim Camara are expected to miss the trip to Almaty while Mario Stroeykens and Mouhamed Belkheir both face late fitness tests.