Kairat Almaty vs Club Brugge Prediction 20.01.2026 | UEFA Champions League

Having written themselves into the history books as the easternmost club ever to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage, Kairat Almaty’s maiden European campaign has unfortunately followed a familiar path for inexperienced debutants. Five defeats and a single draw have left the Kazakh side rooted to the bottom of the standings.

The Yellow-Blacks have found it extremely difficult to translate their domestic dominance into continental success. After successfully defending their league title in October to become national champions for the fifth time overall, European competition has proven a far sterner test. Their solitary point came earlier in the campaign, earned through a hard-fought but uninspiring draw against Pafos on matchday three.

With just two fixtures remaining in the league phase, head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin is acutely aware that time is running out for his side to avoid the ignominy of a winless European campaign. At the same time, hopes of reaching the knockout stages have already been mathematically extinguished.

On a positive note, Kairat Almaty will approach their penultimate continental outing with a fully fit squad, having no injury or suspension concerns to contend with as they look to restore some pride on the European stage.

Meanwhile, Club Brugge head into the penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League league phase languishing in 31st place out of 36 teams, having mustered just one victory and a single draw from their six matches so far.

Their underwhelming European campaign has been compounded by recent domestic instability, with Blauw-Zwart arriving at this fixture off the back of a disappointing 3-2 home defeat to RAAL La Louviere in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, which followed a shock 2-0 loss to Charleroi that resulted in their elimination from the national cup at the quarter-final stage.

As they return to continental action, head coach Ivan Leko faces mounting concerns over his side’s defensive frailties, with the back line resembling a sieve in recent weeks after conceding at least two goals in each of their last four competitive matches.

The Belgian outfit’s task is further complicated by an expanding injury list ahead of their arduous trip to Astana. First-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and midfielder Lynnt Audoor remain sidelined through injury, while influential midfielder Raphael Onyedika is unavailable as he continues international duty with his country during the latter stages of AFCON.