Kairat Almaty head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin is filled with excitement as his team prepare to host record UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Afrosport reports.
Kairat Almaty are appearing among Europe’s elite for the very first time in their history with their location the farthest any team has had to travel after Real covered 6,441 kilometres in distance.
It will also be the highest profile fixture in the history of Kairat at their 23,804 seater Almaty Central Stadium which Urazbakhtin acknowledges the team and its supporters are braced for.
“This is an historical match for us, for Kazakhstan, and for our club. It is also an historical match for me as a coach and to all the players,” he said.
“I think this match is bigger for us than a normal match. We are very excited to play this match tomorrow. It is a great luxury for us and for our country.
“We are very happy to play against a club like Real Madrid, a club that have already arrived here to our country. We were very happy during the draw when we saw we were playing Real Madrid.
“We are very excited ahead of the match. We are very happy to play against Real Madrid.”
View this post on Instagram
Kairat Almaty will be hoping for a massive result in their first Champions League home game having lost 4-1 at Sporting Lisbon in their league phase opener.
