First meets worst in the Champions League league phase on Wednesday evening, as table-topping Arsenal welcome bottom-placed Kairat to the Emirates Stadium for what is effectively a formality on the final matchday.
The Gunners need just a single point to confirm a first-place finish, while their visitors’ debut Champions League campaign is already destined to end in disappointment regardless of the result in North London.
Arsenal’s 2025–26 Champions League campaign has bordered on perfection. Mikel Arteta’s side have swept aside all seven opponents they have faced so far, taking a maximum 21 points and securing qualification for the last 16 with a game to spare.
Last week’s 3-1 victory away to Inter Milan was perhaps the clearest statement of intent yet. Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres dismantled one of Europe’s most respected defensive units at San Siro, underlining Arsenal’s credentials as genuine contenders. The Gunners now sit three points clear of Bayern Munich and boast joint-best attacking numbers in the league phase, having scored 20 goals while conceding just twice.
Avoiding defeat on Wednesday will guarantee top spot, but the Emirates crowd may still demand a response following Sunday’s surprise 3-2 Premier League loss to Manchester United. That result, Arsenal’s first home defeat of the season in any competition, exposed familiar issues in open play when set-piece dominance failed to bail them out.
With a crucial domestic clash against Leeds United looming, Arteta is expected to rotate heavily, but the manager will still want a convincing performance to restore confidence and momentum.
Kairat, meanwhile, are simply playing for pride. The Kazakhstani side have found life at Europe’s top table unforgiving, collecting just one point from seven matches in their maiden Champions League campaign.
That solitary point came in a goalless draw with fellow debutants Pafos, but defeats to Inter, Olympiacos, Copenhagen and Club Brugge have since followed. While most of those losses were by narrow margins, the 4-1 defeat to Club Brugge last time out highlighted the gulf in class.
Rafael Urazbakhtin’s men cannot qualify for the knockouts, but avoiding bottom spot remains a faint possibility. Even so, it would take one of the biggest shocks in Champions League history for Kairat to leave the Emirates with anything other than defeat.
Injuries & Suspensions
Arsenal’s injury list has grown slightly. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are both nursing minor knocks, joining Max Dowman and Riccardo Calafiori on the sidelines. Declan Rice and Mikel Merino are suspended after accumulating yellow cards, opening the door for Christian Norgaard to return to the midfield.Kai Havertz was absent against Manchester United but is not believed to be seriously injured, although Arteta may choose not to risk him from the start. Viktor Gyokeres is expected to lead the line after starting on the bench at the weekend, with wholesale changes likely across the pitch.
Kairat have their own issues. Highly rated teenager Dastan Satpaev, who is set to join Chelsea in the summer, missed the last match through injury and remains a doubt. Winter signings Lucas Africo, Jaakko Oksanen and Sebastian Zeballos are all ineligible for the league phase.
Possible starting lineups
Arsenal:Kepa; White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Norgaard, Eze; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Kairat:
Anarbekov; Tapalov, Martynovich, Sorokin, Mata; Sadybekov, Glazer; Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Gromyco; Edmilson
Expert Prediction
Arsenal 3-0 Kairat
