Champions League rival warns: We want points on the board against Sporting | OneFootball

Luís Mata previewed Kairat Almaty's clash against Sporting in the Champions League. The Portuguese player is part of the Kazakh team that will travel to Estádio José Alvalade on September 18, for the first matchday of the group stage of the prestigious competition. The left-back even spoke about the viral celebrations of his team in reaction to the draw.

“It was special with Sporting too, especially for Jorginho, who is a Sporting fan. We had a big celebration and I wanted to play against Benfica or Sporting, I wanted to go to Portugal. The truth is that my debut in a Champions League final phase will be in Portugal and it will be special for me,” he revealed to Notícias ao Minuto.

Despite representing a club from a country without great football traditions, Luís Mata showed that Kairat Almaty will face Sporting at Alvalade with the intention of earning points: “Everyone thinks that Kairat got here just to lose all the games, but honestly our confidence is that we are going to get several points, starting with the Sporting match, which we know will be tough. Sporting at home is very strong, but we are going to play to earn points.”

In conclusion, the Portuguese left-back spoke about the long journey from Kairat to Lisbon, which will be the longest in the history of the Champions League: “For the match against Sporting, we will have to make the longest trip in the history of the Champions League. I think it’s almost seven thousand kilometers.”

“It’s a record, but for us, as many will be making their debut in a Champions League final phase, we don’t even think about the hours of travel. When we step onto the pitch, the journey is just a detail. Obviously it’s tiring, but for us, it will be something to enjoy about the competition,” concluded Luís Mata.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.