Celtic vs Kairat Prediction: Hosts will put one foot in the Champions League proper

The second match of a UEFA Champions League double-header in Glasgow comes from the city’s East End as Celtic host Kairat Almaty from 20:00 BST in a playoff you can watch live on TNT Sports.

The Hoops are pre-match betting favourites to win both the game and the tie, but will they deliver? Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse thinks so but what are his Best Bets for the match? Let's see as he previews the action and gives us his Celtic vs Kairat Predictions...

*You can check out all of the Football Odds from the plethora of games available to bet on over on betfred.com

Scottish Premiership champions Celtic face off against the best team in the Kazakhstan Premier League for a money-spinning spot in the Champions League.

The locals performed better than many expected in this competition last year, reaching the knockout rounds before running into Bayern Munich. Everyone connected to the home dressing room knows returning to the Champions League is a must.

Kairat Almaty travel from Kazakhstan’s largest city to Glasgow as the underdogs. Most pundits, many football fans and all oddsmakers believe the Team of the Nation will lose in Scotland on Wednesday, undone by a rival with more experience at this level.

Slipping into Parkhead under the radar means they have nothing to lose and everything to gain on Wednesday. They’ll aim to keep things tight, frustrate the home crowd and hope that impatience tumbles down onto the pitch.

Celtic vs Kairat Odds

There are no surprises in the pre-match betting odds available at Betfred. Celtic have the home advantage, arrive in decent form, and take confidence from how they performed in the new-look Champions League last year.

Home boss Brendan Rodgers wants to add to his squad this summer, but believes he has a team capable of safely making it past Kairat Almaty at home and away. Do you agree? You can back Celtic in the match-winner market at odds of 1/6 with Betfred. One for your midweek accumulators, perhaps.

Kairat Almaty don’t boast the same impressive history as their big-name opponents in Europe. Still, they silenced their critics and shocked the doubters when beating Slovan Bratislava over two legs in the previous round.

The team led by the former Kazakh national team striker, Rafael Urazbakhtin, battled to an eye-catching 2-1 aggregate win, claiming a 1-0 victory at home and a 1-1 on the road. Those looking for a play at big odds can chance the away win at a bulky 16/1, with the draw yours at 13/2.

Over 2.5 goals

My first bet in Glasgow on Wednesday evening, before a packed stadium and the live TV cameras, is for Celtic and Kairat Almaty to produce three or more goals. With this approach, it doesn’t matter which team or players score the goals or who wins the match.

If the game ends with three or more goals for both teams combined, your wager wins. That bet will be popular with armchair fans and will appear in many Champions League multiples.

We have nothing to go on in the head-to-head stats, but with both teams busy this summer, the numbers give us a reason to be confident.

Over 2.5 goals would’ve landed you a profit when Celtic beat Falkirk 4-1 here at the weekend in the Scottish League Cup. It was also a smart bet in Yelimay Semey’s 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty in the KPL on Saturday. Let’s stick with the trends and hope this game falls into line.

Harate to score anytime

Moving to our second pick on Wednesday, and it gives football bettors a shot at higher odds. With Celtic priced like losing isn’t an option, we must work hard to uncover the value in this Champions League playoff.

There’s not a lot to get excited about, but we’ve found a strong bet in the anytime scorer market when pinning our hopes on fans’ favourite Reo Hatate.

The 27-year-old Japanese midfield dynamo Hatate scored his first goal of the season when netting the second in a recent 2-0 Premiership win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Last term, he was on the scoresheet in several important fixtures, including against Rangers in the Old Firm derby and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Celtic will take control of this match early, and Hatate will get forward at every opportunity.

Frank Monkhouse Scottish Football P/L

25/26 Season:

• Points Placed: 19
• Points Returned: 10.75
• P/L: -8.25

24/25 Season:

• Points Placed: 257
• Points Returned: 252.25
• P/L: -4.75

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...