Sporting CP vs Kairat Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
Sporting CP are the most westerly team to ever play in the UEFA Champions League and they now host the most easterly team to ever qualify, Kairat Almaty, in Lisbon this week.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
Sporting CP preview: Change for Sporting
Mid-way through last season, Portuguese champions Sporting CP lost manager Ruben Amorim to Manchester United but, as he struggles in England, the Lisbon giants managed to retain their title on the final day of the season ahead of Benfica.
Sporting, now coached by Rui Borges, have also had to endure the sale of Viktor Gyokeres this summer. They have started the Portuguese Primeira Liga season with four victories and a draw from their opening five matches, sitting below Porto in the table.
Kairat preview: A remarkable story
Kairat Almaty have become the most easterly team to ever qualify for the UEFA Champions League with the Kazakh champions coming from close to the Chinese border, and they will be reliant on home advantage for their points.
In qualification for the league phase, they managed to defeat both Slovan Bratislava and Celtic on penalties in Kazakhstan, with both of those sides having been a part of the 36-team table last season, and the latter even making it into the knockout playoffs.
Sporting CP team news: A few absentees
Sporting CP are dealing with a few key issues ahead of the visit of Kairat this weekend, with defender Ousmane Diomande sidelined alongside Japan international midfielder Hidemasa Morita.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Virginia; Vagiannidis, Debast, Inacio, Mangas; Hjulmand, Kochorashvili; Quenda, Trincao, Goncalves; Suarez
Unavailable: Diomande (Injured), Santos (Injured), Morita (Injured), Catamo (Injured), Braganca (Injured)
Questionable:
Kairat team news: Fully fit
Kairat do have a fully fit squad for their trip to the Portuguese capital city with no fresh injuries or suspension concerns, and so they will be able to name their strongest eleven.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Anarbekov; Tapalov, Martynovich, Sorokin, Mata; Glazer, Arad; Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Gromyko; Ricardinho
Unavailable:
Questionable:
Sporting CP vs Kairat prediction
As mentioned, home advantage will be the only way of Kairat causing issues for most teams in this competition, and they welcome 15-time European champions Real Madrid to eastern Kazakhstan in a couple of weeks. Even then, though, and even against average sides such as Celtic and Slovan Bratislava, Kairat still lack quality and still required draws to get by on penalties, and they aren’t expected to present much of a challenge to Sporting, especially in Lisbon.
Sporting CP vs Kairat Tip: Sporting CP to win to nil
