Arsenal – Kairat Tip Champions League, Matchday 8 on Wednesday, 28/01/2026 at 21:00 CET
Well, the contrasts could hardly be greater. At the end of the Champions League preliminary round, league leaders Arsenal will meet the already eliminated bottom of the table Kairat Almaty and – not surprisingly – go into the game as towering favourites.
Ultimately, the only question is how big the Gunners will win this game – and who will be responsible for the goals in the end. In my Arsenal Kairat tip I go to the bet “Gabriel Martinelli scores” at odds around 1.90 at Interwetten.
The Brazilian has already scored five goals this Champions League season, although he has mostly been on the road as a part-time employee. Statistically, Martinelli scores a goal every 61 minutes in the Champions League and is therefore the first candidate for an Arsenal goal against Kairat for me.
In any case, it remains to be seen whether the Kazakhs will defend themselves noticeably at all. After all, nothing is at stake for Kairat at the bottom of the table. After seven completed matchdays, the underdog has one point and no longer has a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The main reason for the misery is undoubtedly the overwhelmed defence. With 19 goals conceded, Kairat has the weakest defence in the current competition. What happens if the Kazakhs now meet the best offense (20 Arsenal goals) is anyone’s guess.
Arsenal – Kairat Prediction & Betting
Of course, it doesn’t work without betting alternatives on the last day of the preliminary round. Accordingly, I serve you three additional tip ideas for the match between Arsenal and Kairat Almaty.
I expect a clear victory for the Gunners. So there should be no shortage of goals. “Over 3.5 hits” at odds around 1.50 thus fits like the famous fist to the eye.
If you now assume that Kairat will remain without a goal of his own, you could also go straight to “Arsenal over 3.5 goals”. The odds thus improve to a range of about 1.70.
There are odds of about 2.00 for the bet “Arsenal to win with handicap -3”, which is a realistic scenario from my point of view. Kairat simply does not have the level for the Champions League this season.
What you need to consider when betting on Arsenal vs. Kairat
- Arsenal have scored at least three goals in each of their last five Champions League games. In addition, no other team has won seven out of seven games in this competition so far in the 2025/26 season.
- Kairat Almaty have picked up just one point from seven matches this Champions League season. With 19 goals conceded, the Kazakhs have the weakest defence, have the highest expected goals against value (19.6) and allowed the most shots on goal in the league (58).
- Of the 18 games that will be played at the same time on Wednesday, only the duel between league leaders Arsenal and bottom-of-the-table Kairat is of no sporting significance. Since there is nothing more at stake for both clubs, bettors might be well advised to exercise restraint when it comes to larger handicaps.
- Gabriel Martinelli scored five goals in six appearances in this competition. He averages one goal every 61 minutes – also due to several substitute appearances.
Arsenal – Kairat: AI Tip & Odds Analysis
Of course, our AI model doesn’t want to miss this “David vs. Goliath” duel and has made its very own prediction considerations in advance. The Arsenal Kairat AI prediction is the consequence.
First, the digital brain makes the bet “Arsenal will win both halves”. The odds are still relatively generous at the betting providers with PayPal (about 1.50). I don’t believe that Kairat can put up decisive resistance even in one half.
The second selection of AI takes a similar line. “Arsenal wins to nil” also makes it just over the 1.50 mark. Almaty have scored five goals in the competition so far. It should stay that way.
As a risk tip, the AI recommends the bet “4-0 for Arsenal”. The odds of about 7.10 are of course something for a Winamax Freebet. Interesting: Only the 3-0 for the Gunners is more likely from the point of view of the bookmakers (approx. 6.90).
The best odds for Arsenal vs. Kairat
The odds for Arsenal to win against Kairat on matchday eight of the Champions League are the lowest in the entire 1X2 market.
The bookmakers don’t give Kairat a chance of winning: The high odds of the guests correspond to an implied probability of winning of only three percent. Arsenal’s chance of victory, on the other hand, is around 95 percent, according to 1X2 Market.
The Asian handicap market is also striking. Despite the qualification already secured, the Odds compilers expect a clear, high-scoring success for the Gunners. Arsenal only needs a draw to finally secure first place in the league phase.
The Asian goal line is set correspondingly high, which is currently 4.25 over/under. So if you bet on “Over”, you need at least five goals to make a profit.
As expected, Arsenal also dominates the market for goalscorers at all times. A total of 22 Arsenal players are traded at lower odds than Kairat’s highest-rated attacking player.
Five Gunners players even have odds that correspond to an implied scoring probability of over 50 percent in the upcoming game.
Arsenal vs Kairat Match Analysis:
The duel between the first and last placed teams in the Champions League league phase should be a clear affair. Arsenal has already secured a place in the top two, while Kairat can only hope for 33rd place and is already mathematically eliminated.
Since there is nothing more at stake in sporting terms, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is likely to give several reserves and players with less playing time a chance. Players such as Kepa Arrizabalaga, Piero Hincapie and Christian Nörgaard are considered likely candidates for the Gunners’ starting eleven.
For the Kazakh champions, the main thing is to avoid a heavy defeat against the most prestigious opponent so far in their first, historic Champions League participation.
It is the first meeting between Arsenal and Kairat. In the last eleven European games against opponents Arsenal met for the first time, the Gunners remained unbeaten.
In addition, it is the only match among the 18 games scheduled for Wednesday in which the result has no sporting consequences. Anything other than a commanding victory for Arsenal would therefore be a big surprise.
Arsenal Form Check
Arsenal have won all seven games this UEFA Champions League season by at least two goals. No team in the history of the European Cup or UEFA Champions League has ever achieved eight consecutive wins by such a margin.
The hitherto flawless record has already secured the Gunners a place in the top two of the Champions League league phase. With a lead of three points over Bayern Munich, a draw is enough for Arsenal to mathematically secure first place.
Even in the event of a defeat against Kairat, Arsenal would be secured thanks to the significantly better goal difference of +18 compared to Bayern’s +13.
Unlike last season, a first or second place in the league stage this year means that all knockout rounds start with the home game – a significant advantage on the way to the final, which will be played in Budapest on 30 May.
For Arsenal, who lost 3-2 to Manchester United in the league last Sunday and are only four points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa, the upcoming away game at Leeds on Saturday has priority.
Accordingly, it is to be expected that Mikel Arteta will rotate the starting eleven significantly and approach the game more calmly than previous Champions League appearances.
Kairat Form Check
Kairat Almaty have picked up just one point from seven games this UEFA Champions League season. With 19 goals conceded, the Kazakhs have the weakest defence, also have the highest expected goals against value (19.6) and have the most shots on target in the league (58).
The goal of the Kazakh champions against the Premier League leaders will therefore be to put in a decent performance and avoid a heavy defeat.
For Kairat, who have only scored five goals this Champions League season, a goal at the Emirates Stadium would be a historic success. With Arsenal left to lose in sporting terms, the visitors hope to build on their performances against Sporting, Inter, Copenhagen and Club Brugge.
However, the signs suggest that it could be another difficult night for Kairat goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov – a role he has become accustomed to.
Remarkably, Anarbekov conceded only ten goals in this Champions League season with 15.1 expected goals conceded on shots on target. At 5.1, his Goals Prevented is the highest of any goalkeeper in the competition (excluding own goals).
