Kairat Almaty have gained the upper hand in their Champions League third round qualifier against Slovan Bratislava.Â
The winner of the tie will play Celtic in the UCL play-off towards the end of the month.
It was revealed on Monday that Brendan Rodgers' side would face either of the teams in the final qualifying match of the tournament before the league phase commences.
Celtic will play at home first, having been drawn out of the hat as the host club for the first leg.
đ In UCL QR3, Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan have just beaten 10 man Slovan Bratislava 1-0 in the first leg, thanks to a late penalty
â Scotlandâs Coefficient (@scotlandscoeff1) August 6, 2025
âď¸ Celtic face the winners - around a 7,000 mile round trip to get there
đ´ Kairat beat Aberdeen 3-2 (agg) 10 years ago
pic.twitter.com/5D0QlvXhDb
That game will be played on Wednesday, August 20, with an 8pm kick-off, as per UEFA's website.
The return leg - wherever that will be - is set to take place six days later on Tuesday, August 26, also with an 8pm kick-off.
Celtic are guaranteed league phase football in Europe this season, as if the Scottish Premiership champions fail to advance then they would drop into the Europa League.
While nothing is settled yet, with the game only at the halfway point over the two legs, the Kazakhstan team have a one-goal advantage.
Read more:Â
-
O'Neill talks Rodgers' 'uncertain' Celtic future, retells his past Desmond dealings
-
I left Celtic for Man City at 16 - I've just joined team in Czech second-tier
They scored a 90th-minute penalty through Dastan Satpaev to secure the home victory over the Slovakians.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men after 65 minutes when Rahim Ibrahim was sent off after picking up two yellow cards.
Celtic, of course, faced Slovan in the opening match of their Champions League campaign last season.Â
They strolled the match at Celtic Park, rolling over the poor opposition 5-1 on the night.
