Morning all.
I have copied this from Arsenal’s official website because funny enough, I know absolutely nothing about tonight’s opposition and their journey through this competition.
_Kairat Almaty’s squad is a blend of homegrown talent and a host of overseas players. In the Kazak league, the number of foreign players is restricted to 13 per KPL team squad of 25 players, with Kairat holding the maximum 13 international players in the 2025 campaign, including four Brazilians and two Portuguese._
_However, it’s a teenage home talent that has made all the headlines in the shape of 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev. The young forward bagged 14 KPL goals in 2025, ranking second in the entire league._
_He scored twice to help Kazak side qualify for the UCL main draw and bagged his first Champions League goal in a narrow 3-2 defeat versus Copenhagen in Denmark. Brazilian forward Edmilson has also been a threat in the competition since arriving from Slovenian side Celje in 2025. The striker netted Kairat’s first-ever UCL goal in a 4-1 loss at Sporting CP._
_Meanwhile, goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov has only conceded 10 goals from 15.1 xG on target in the UEFA Champions League this season. His goals prevented differential is the highest of any goalkeeper in this edition (5.1 – excluding own goals)._
Despite the above positives, Kairat Almaty are bottom of the Champions League table with just one point on the board. They have a goal difference tally of -14.
We know Saliba, Timber, Merino and Rice will miss tonight’s game but I hope that doesn’t mean Zubimendi will. We don’t need him and he needs a break. We have Norgaard to protect the defence so surely to goodness he will. Lewis-Skelly and Ben White should in my opinion sit either side of Mosquera and one of Hincapie or Calafiori – fitness depending. Saka doesn’t need to play either, nor Odegaard and Trossard because we have a deep and strong squad ready and able for nights like this.
If the “squad players” aren’t deemed good enough to go and face Kairat in what is pretty much a dead rubber fixture, then why the hell did Arsenal sign them in the first place?
This really is the ideal time to rest those who have played a lot over football, especially over the festive period when the fixture schedule was crazy. It’s also the perfect opportunity to try something different if that is in Arteta’s mind of course.
During his press conference, Arteta spoke about the mood in the camp after Sunday:
The reaction has been excellent. We took a moment to bring the temperature down, to pause, to reflect and ask two questions. One is how do we feel, and how do I feel myself, and then how we want to live the next four months.
> It was so encouraging and beautiful, because what came out of there is very simple. We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we’re going to win it.
> This is going to be the mindset and where we’re going to put the energy. I’m just hoping that everybody who is related to this club, especially our supporters, jump on that boat because this is the way that we’re going to live the next four months because we deserve to live like this.
Jumping on boats is probably a touchy subject but I get his analogy. Stay with the club, believe in the players and expect to see them get back on track and stay on track. I suspect he’s asking us to believe in him too.
Catch up in the comments.