Will Kazakhstan's Kairat Pose Problem For Celtic?

Champions League play-off first leg: Celtic v Kairat

Where: Celtic Park, Glasgow When: Wednesday 20 August Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Listen to Sportsound commentary connected BBC Sounds and travel unrecorded connected nan BBC Sport website & app

FC Kairat players began their agelong travel to Glasgow pinch a ringing sensation successful their ears.

A fewer days aft scraping past Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava to group up a Champions League play-off against Celtic, they tossed distant a 2-0 lead against Yelimay, losing 3-2 and pinch it their spot astatine nan apical of nan Kazakhstan Premier League.

It was their first location conclusion successful 8 games and that ringing was brought connected by nan words of caput coach Rafael Urakhtin, who was furious astatine specified a capitulation pinch conscionable 2 months near of nan Kazakh season.

"It was a disappointing conclusion for us," he lamented. "I judge that a squad fighting for nan title has nary correct to make specified mistakes. We made childish mistakes.

"We person nary clip to grieve, we alert to Scotland for nan adjacent match."

Plenty to ponder, then, for nan Kairat squad arsenic they made their 3,500-mile travel westbound from Almaty, which lies specified hours from nan Chinese border.

It has already been a reasonably arduous escapade connected nan transportation for nan reigning champions of a state that Celtic person sewage to cognize good complete nan past decade aliases so.

Kairat overcame Slovenians Olimpija earlier coming from 2 goals down astatine nan midway constituent of nan necktie successful nan 2nd qualifying information against Finnish broadside KuPS.

Then came nan play successful Bratislava, arsenic they emerged via a shoot-out amidst a raucous ambiance successful nan Slovakian superior aft going down successful nan first half.

In 2002, Uefa granted a petition from nan Kazakh FA to return portion successful European title contempt nan largest landlocked state successful nan world sitting successful mid-Asia.

Celtic person visited 3 times previously, including doubly astatine this shape of Champions League qualifying, pinch memorable match-ups against Shakhter Karagandy and Astana.

Kairat person had Scottish acquisition themselves, having knocked Aberdeen retired of nan Europa League a decade ago.

Returning to nan qualifying tourney successful their bid to get backmost to Europe's apical array is not perfect for Scotland's champions against nan backdrop of a fading coefficient, but Brendan Rodgers' men will beryllium large favourites.

However, nan warnings are location that Kairat whitethorn beryllium nary pushovers. The biggest threat to Celtic's ambitions comes successful nan style of a 17-year-old.

Dastan Satpaev has a big-money transportation to Chelsea to look guardant to but is excessively young to make that move this twelvemonth arsenic per Fifa rules.

He celebrated his 17th successful Bratislava and will caput to westbound London arsenic soon arsenic he turns 18 adjacent August.

Satpaev has 22 extremity involvements for Kairat this season, scoring 13 of them himself, including 3 successful nan qualifiers. And contempt his 5ft 5in frame, has a monolithic early connected his hands whilst already a afloat international.

Belarus world Valeriy Gromyko is different important subordinate and is apt to beryllium progressive against Scotland successful nan upcoming World Cup qualifier successful Hungary.

This is not a fixture Celtic will beryllium intimidated by, isolated from nan magnitude of travel they will undertake for adjacent week's return. Although nan past clip Callum McGregor and James Forrest were successful Kazakhstan, it was for a Scotland squad connected nan receiving extremity of a 3-0 humbling successful 2019.

Symbolically, nan show of Astana playing successful nan group shape of nan Champions League successful 2015 was monolithic for Kazakh football, pinch galore emotion it justified Uefa's determination to assistance them access.

But, it remains nan only clip a nine from nan state has participated successful nan tournament. Kairat are hopeless to go nan second.