Despite having only 35 percent of possession, Kairat will be satisfied to leave Slovenia with a result to build on, although they may also lament what could have been on a different day. While the Kazakhstan team was largely outplayed for significant portions of the match, they managed to take the lead with their sole shot on target when Dastan Satpaev scored just before the hour mark.
However, that lead was short-lived, lasting only seven minutes before it was equalized, but avoiding defeat on foreign ground keeps the momentum on Kairat’s side heading into the second leg, particularly for a team that has turned their home ground into a stronghold lately. Rafael Urazbakhtin’s squad has won 11 of their last 12 matches at Central Stadium in all competitions, suffering just one defeat during this stretch and recording clean sheets in six of their last eight games at home.
The Team of the Nation has also maintained an unblemished record in UEFA Champions League qualifiers at home, having won all three such matches, including during the 2021-22 season, which is the only time they advanced beyond the initial round. That year, Kairat held Maccabi Haifa to a 1-1 stalemate in Israel before securing a 2-0 victory at home to progress, and they will strive to follow that plan once more.
Olimpija is also familiar with advancing past the first stage, having reached the second round of qualifiers in the 2023-24 season. Although the Slovenian team was in a stronger position then, securing a 2-1 advantage from the first leg against Valmieras FK, they still matched that scoring with the same outcome in Latvia, demonstrating the Dragons’ ability to finish ties on the road in the UEFA Champions League preliminaries.
Olimpija will be looking for a similar result here, but their recent away performance is concerning, as they have not won in their last five away matches across all competitions. Nonetheless, Joao Simao’s squad has shown resilience during that period, managing to avoid defeat in four out of those five games, with their latest match ending in a goalless draw—the only match in that stretch where they neither scored nor conceded.
