Kairat vs Real Madrid Prediction: Expect a reaction in Kazakhstan

Real Madrid are back in action on Tuesday night, just three days on from humiliation in the derby against Atlético. Xabi Alonso will expect a reaction from his side as they take on Kairat in the Champions League.

We've asked our La Liga betting expert to preview this one and he's put together his thoughts and top betting tips below. You can check out his Kairat vs Real Madrid Predictions here on Betfred Insights...

*For all of our Football Odds then head on over to betfred.com

There’d likely have been a sombre mood in the Madrid camp on the long flight to Kazakhstan. They were a distant second best at the Estadio Metropolitano, with Alonso conceding that his side merited nothing from their trip across town, which ended in a 5-2 defeat.

Jude Bellingham returned to the starting lineup for that match, following only a couple of brief substitute appearances. The decision to throw the Englishman straight into the heat of an intense derby was questionable, particularly given it sparked a structural shift in a side that had been performing well.

Real Madrid had won all seven of their competitive fixtures this term prior to the weekend. If anything, they were getting better with each passing week, having warmed up for the Atleti clash with a dominant 4-1 away win against Levante.

However, very little went right against Diego Simeone’s team, with defensive errors contributing to their downfall. Aside from a brief period in the first half when Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler finished well to put them 2-1 up, there were also few positives in the final third.

It was a performance and result which only added weight to the theory that Los Blancos continue to struggle in the big games. They’ve won 11 and lost only twice in competitive football since the managerial change in the summer. Weaker opponents have mostly been swept aside, but nine goals have been conceded in their two toughest fixtures during that period, against PSG and Atleti.

Kairat clearly aren’t operating on that kind of level, but they’d have certainly noticed flaws in Real Madrid’s defence that they might be able to exploit on Tuesday.

This will be a huge occasion for everybody connected with the Kazakh club. Having never previously reached the group or league phase in Europe’s premier competition, the visit of the 15-time winners will rank as perhaps the biggest night in their history.

Having only won the Kazakhstan Premier League on four occasions, Kairat are not used to playing on anything like this stage, but they did brilliantly to progress through qualifying. They needed to start out way back in early July, but managed to see off Olimpija Ljubljana, KuPS, Slovan Bratislava and Celtic in two-legged ties to reach this stage.

Their home form was key to their strong run. None of those four sides managed to score in Kazakhstan, with the play-off against Celtic ending goalless after 210 minutes of football, prompting a penalty shootout, which Rafael Urazbakhtin’s men duly won.

There is no real expectation on them to make an impact in the league phase, but they could still be awkward opponents on home soil. There was a goal for the travelling Kairat fans to celebrate on matchday one in Lisbon, however it was only a late consolation, with Sporting already four goals up by that point. Any kind of result this week would clearly be a massive bonus.

Team News:

Kairat have had more than a week to prepare for this historic fixture, after they saw off FK Zhenys 3-1 in their last league game. Their 17-year-old striker Dastan Satpayev scored a brace in that one, and he could be trusted to lead the line again here.

The hosts are currently short on goalkeeping options, with Temirlan Anarbekov and Aleksandr Zarutskiy both recovering from recent injuries.

As for Real Madrid, some changes are expected following their weekend horror show. Franco Mastantuono, Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo could potentially rotate in, while there will be at least two alterations in defence.

Dani Carvajal is injured, as well as suspended, following his red card in the 2-1 win over Marseille. With Trent-Alexander Arnold also out, Fede Valverde may be used as an emergency full-back or wing-back, with a switch to a back three possible. Éder Militão also picked up an injury against Atleti, so Raúl Asencio should come into the defence, given Antonio Rüdiger is still sidelined.

Match Odds: 

Real Madrid are the red-hot favourites at 1/11 to bounce back from their derby defeat with a victory in Kazakhstan. You can back the Draw at 10/1, while Kairat are on offer at huge odds of 28/1.

If you're expecting the visitors to win big, you can back Los Blancos with a -2.00 Handicap at 8/11, while Real Madrid -3.00 Handicap is on offer 7/4. Alonso's side are priced at 6/5 to score over 3.5 goals in the game.

You can back Kairat to get on the scoresheet at some point in this match at odds of 11/8. The underdogs are also priced at 15/2 to win either half, while you can back Kairat or Draw in the Double Chance market at 11/2.

Mbappé is the clear favourite to score first at 15/8, while the Frenchman is on offer at 7/4 to score two or more goals in the game. That bet has landed on three occasions already this term, while the 26-year-old has scored at least once in each of his last seven games for club and country.

Alternatively, you can back Vinícius Júnior to score anytime at odds of 5/6. Rodrygo is priced at 6/5 in the same market, while Bellingham is available at 13/10 to net his first goal of the season.

*You can see all of our Kairat vs Real Madrid Odds and betting markets over on betfred.com

Highest scoring half - 2nd half @ 10/11

Kairat showed in the Celtic tie that they can hold their own and at least set up with an organised defensive structure. They were holding Sporting for 44 minutes in Portugal a fortnight ago too, but the floodgates did open in the second half, with Rui Borges’ side scoring three goals in the space of four minutes after the hour mark.

They’ll need to work incredibly hard off the ball in this game to keep Real Madrid at bay. However, the away team’s quality should ultimately show. Given Alonso’s selection issues are all in defence, the visitors will also have plenty of firepower in reserve to turn to after the interval.

I can see there being a number of goals after the break, and I’m backing the Second Half in the Highest Scoring Half market at 10/11.

Real Madrid to win & Both teams to score @ 9/5

Kairat are almost certainly going to struggle in this campaign, but they did show at least some ambition in Portugal in their opening fixture. They had four shots on target in that game, and should ask a few questions here too.

Real Madrid are missing their two right-backs, as well as two of their three main central defenders. Asencio and Dean Huijsen have not convinced as a pairing so far, and Los Blancos looked really vulnerable to crosses into the penalty area against Atleti.

Given their defensive issues, there may be value in backing Real Madrid to win and Both teams to score at 9/5.

Mystery Free Spins Offer:

What’s the only thing better than slots Free Spins? No deposit Free Spins, with no wagering requirements, that is what!

Opt in for the chance to win daily Free Spins prizes to play on our superb Casino Slots.

All you need to do is opt-in via the banner below, then open a Casino game every day for your chance to win up to 50 Free Spins. How many will you get? That’s the mystery!

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.