Champions League league-phase leaders Arsenal welcome rock-bottom Kairat Almaty to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
[Arsenal fell to a 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United](https://thesportstoday.com/2026/01/25/manchester-united-stun-nervy-arsenal-in-a-five-goal-thriller/) in the Premier League at the weekend. However, [Mikel Arteta’s side secured a 3-1 victory over Inter Milan](https://thesportstoday.com/2026/01/20/jesus-at-the-double-as-arsenal-see-off-inter-to-reach-the-last-16-of-the-champions-league/) last time out in the Champions League.
Kairat were battered 4-1 by Club Brugge in their last Champions League outing, leaving them sitting 32nd in the league-phase standings with one point.
**Match preview**
Arsenal’s meeting with Kairat will be just the second time ever that an English side has hosted an opponent from Kazakhstan in European competition, after Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Astana in September 2019 in the UEFA Europa League.
This will be Arsenal’s first meeting with Kairat; the Gunners haven’t lost any of the last 11 occasions when facing a team for the first time in European competition, winning 10 of those (D1), since a defeat versus Rennes in March 2019 (3-1 loss in the Europa League).
The Gunners have won all seven of their Champions League games this season by a 2+ goal margin. No team in European Cup/Champions League history has ever won eight in a row by 2+ goals.
Kairat Almaty have just one point from their seven Champions League matches this season. They’ve conceded the joint-most goals (19), have the highest xG against (19.6) and have faced the most shots on target (58) of any side this term.
Arteta’s side are looking for their eighth straight victory in the Champions League – only one other English side has managed 8+ consecutive wins in European Cup/Champions League history, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City winning 10 in a row between May 2023 and March 2024.
Arsenal are the only team who haven’t trailed at any point in the Champions League this season. Kairat, meanwhile, have trailed for 316 minutes, the third most behind Ajax (429) and Villarreal (376).
Bukayo Saka could make his 50th appearance for Arsenal in major European competition (currently on 49) – if he plays in this match, he would be the second-youngest player to reach this milestone for the Gunners (24y 145d on the day of the game), after Cesc Fàbregas (22y 331d in 2010).
**Team news**
**Arsenal**
Riccardo Calafiori and Max Dowman are the only absentees with injuries.
While Declan Rice and Mikel Merino are suspended for this fixture.
**Kairat Almaty**
Dastan Satpaev is a doubt for the trip to the capital after he missed the loss to Club Brugge with an injury.
Winter arrivals Lucas Africo, Jaakko Oksanen and Sebastian Zeballos are all ineligible for the league-phase games.
**Predicted line-ups**
**Arsenal**: Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Norgaard, Eze, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
**Kairat Almaty**: Anarbekov, Tapalov, Martynovich, Sorokin, Mata, Sadybekov, Glazer, Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Gromyco, Edmilson.