Kairat v Madrid match preview
Manager Rafael Urazbakhtin says Kairat Almaty will “impose our game” when Real Madrid arrive on Matchday 2 of the 2025/26 Champions League for the Spanish side’s first ever meeting with a team from Kazakhstan.
“We must come out bold and put up a fight,” said Urazbakhtin (via Sports.kz), who took over last April and guided Kairat to their domestic title by a point with a run of five wins and a defeat from their final six league matches.
“It’s clear that Real Madrid don’t have many weaknesses. Analysing them, we found some that worked for us.
“Every team has its weaknesses. How to exploit them is our question. I can’t tell you right now – it’s a secret. You’ll see. We understand perfectly well that it will be difficult.”
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While Kairat started their campaign with a 4-1 defeat at Sporting and Madrid won 2-1 at home to Marseille, Los Blancos’ first setback under Xabi Alonso – losing 5-2 at Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday, having been 2-1 ahead entering first-half added time – could also help the underdogs.
“Defeats happen,” reflected Urazbakhtin, who was asked whether the visitors’ journey of around 4,000 miles to reach Almaty could be a factor.
“It’s an inevitable part of football. [Their] defeat could work against us. They’ll come out more motivated and try to bounce back.
“Regarding fatigue, Real Madrid have players who are used to handling pressure. [Whether we’re] hoping they’ll be tired… we need to think more about ourselves and how we’re going to play.”
Having won three straight league games, Kairat have one commonality with Madrid in standing a point behind the leaders in their country, trailing Astana with a game in hand.
The media room was reportedly packed for visiting manager Xabi Alonso and midfielder Fede Valverde’s pre-match press conference, with even former Arsenal forward and Ballon d’Or contender Andrey Arshavin – who finished his career at Kairat – said to have been in attendance.
“You have to adapt,” accepted Alonso of the long journey. “We’ve changed the usual roadmap a bit. The smartest one adapts best.
“The game is just another one, not an excuse. We’ve seen their games [in the competition this season]. They have a well-formed core with different attacking options.
“They know how to combine well. They play direct and they have a clear vision. They [are determined] to compete well.
“There are footballing reasons [for our defeat]; we weren’t at our best. It wasn’t just attitude. It’s part of the learning process.
“We’ve been at it for 58 days [of Alonso’s tenure], right? And there we go. It hurts – it hurt – but we’re back in Champions League mode.”
Kairat Almaty v Madrid team news
Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger remain sidelined for Madrid but forward Jude Bellingham made his first start since shoulder surgery against Atleti.
Right-back Dani Carvajal suffered a long-term knee injury in the defeat, although there was better news on centre-back Eder Militao, who was replaced by Raul Asencio at half-time but has only suffered a minor ankle knock.
Playmaker Arda Guler joined Carvajal in being replaced in the 59th minute, with Eduardo Camavinga and Franco Mastantuono coming on.
Prolific former Georgia midfielder Giorgi Zaria has returned to training after missing Kairat’s last four matches.
“It’s important for us that he’s [part of] the team,” Urazbakhtin said of the 28-year-old. “His presence in the dressing room means a lot.
“His energy and character are important to us. Of course, he’s not on top form yet.”
Forwards Joao Paulo – Kairat’s top scorer in their 2024 season – and Elder Santana have long-term injuries and Urazbakhtin said 18-year-old Sherkhan Kalmurza was poised to be in goal again “at the moment”.
Kalmurza has been forced to deputise for the first time this season because of injuries to Aleksandr Zarutsky and 21-year-old stand-in Termilan Anarbekov, who was Kairat’s hero in their qualifying play-off win over Celtic.
Kazakh Kalmurza became the third-youngest goalkeeper to appear in the Champions League against Sporting and the second-youngest overall to save a penalty, stopping Morten Hjulmand’s effort.
“Sherkhan has been getting more attention than usual lately,” observed Urazbakhtin. “He needs to cope – what else can he do?
“He’s coping. I haven’t noticed any stress in training. Goalkeepers are a different breed. They have a lot of theorising and discussions.
“I don’t get involved. In that regard, we’re in harmony. As for Sherkhan himself, he performed well on the road. I didn’t notice him [looking nervous]. We’ll see [on Tuesday].”
Kairat Almaty starting XI: Sherkhan Kalmurza, Erkin Tapalov, Aleksandr Martynovich, Egor Sorokin, Luis Mata, Aleksandr Mrynskiy, Damir Kasabulat, Jorginho, Ofri Arad, Valeri Gromyko, Dastan Satpaev
Real Madrid starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Eduardo Camavinga, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Arda Guler, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
How to watch Kairat v Madrid: TV channel, online live streams
The match kicks off at 17:45 BST (12:45 ET / 09:45 PT) on Tuesday and is being shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 2.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
