Kairat vs Sutjeska prediction 08.07.2026 | Champions League qualification

Kairat have grown into the best team in Kazakhstan. Last season, they secured their fifth title in the domestic championship with only two points more than Astana. In the current campaign, the task will again be extremely hard, as Kairat are, after 18 matches, one point behind Ordabasy but have played two more games than the league leader. 

Last season, Kairat successfully advanced through four rounds of qualification and debuted in the Champions League, where they finished last in the regular season. The Kazakh champions hope to repeat their excellent run from the previous summer and secure another appearance in the most elite competition on the continent. 

Kairat are in excellent form. They are welcoming the Champions League qualifications with four victories in a row. In the most recent outing, Kairat trashed Okzhetpes 5-0 at home. The hosts dominated throughout the game and will have a lot of confidence ahead of the tie against Sutjeska. 

Last season, Sutjeska won their sixth domestic league trophy. However, it was far from easy, as Milorad Pekovic's team ended only three points ahead of Mornar Bar. Sutjeska have never played in the group stage of any European competition and hopes to change that in the current campaign. Last season, the team from Niksic played in the Conference League qualifiers, but after beating Dinamo Brest, they were stopped in the second round by Beitar Jerusalem. 

Sutjeska were terrible this summer. They lost all three friendly matches, scoring only one goal against Borac Banja Luka, Mornar Bar, and Sarajevo.   In the previous season, Sutjeska were the best attacking team in the Montenegrin league, scoring 61 goals in 36 matches, but it seems they are far from that level right now. 

A possible reason why Sutjeska are struggling offensively could be the departures of Vasko Kalezic, Ivan Vukcevic, and Medo Jukovic. All three had a significant role in the team in the previous campaign. Sutjeska have found replacements in Kenroy Campbell (who came from IMT Belgrade), Aleksandar Boljevic (Sogdiana), and Slobodan Babic (Nyiregyhaza), but those three don't seem to be at an adequate level.