Champions League, the guide for Inter vs Kairat Almaty | OneFootball

After a two-week break, the Champions League is back. Inter are preparing for their fourth match of the league phase as they face Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty at San Siro on Wednesday 5 November at 21:00 CET.

Cristian Chivu’s side come into the fixture with three wins from three, topping the overall table with nine points, level with Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

HISTORY AND HERITAGE: KAIRAT ALMATY

Kairat Almaty are one of the most distinctive clubs in the competition: the Kazakh side represent the most distant city ever to take part in the Champions League — around ten hours by air from any other team in this year’s tournament. Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, lies in the far southeast of the country near the borders with Kyrgyzstan and China, some 6,729 km from Milan.

Nestled at the foot of the Tian Shan mountains, which soar above 7,000 metres, Almaty means “the place of apples” — a reference to an ancient legend in which the spirits of the mountains gifted apples to humankind. Indeed, the region is home to the Malus sieversii, considered the wild ancestor of all cultivated apples, believed to have spread worldwide via Silk Road trade routes.

Football arrived early here. The club was founded in 1954 under the name Lokomotiv, representing the local railway company, before adopting the name Kairat in 1956 — a Kazakh word meaning “strength” or “courage.” During the Soviet era, Kairat became a symbol of Kazakh football at national level. Since independence, they have gone on to win five league titles, ten domestic cups and three Super Cups.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEBUT AND DOMESTIC DOMINANCE

Kairat are only the second Kazakh club ever to compete in the Champions League, following rivals Astana’s debut in 2015/16. After several years of preliminary rounds across European competitions, including a group-stage appearance in the 2021/22 Conference League, Kairat reached this season’s league phase by eliminating Olimpija Ljubljana, Kuopion Palloseura, Slovan Bratislava and notably Celtic in the qualifiers. Their first three matches in the competition yielded a 4-1 defeat away to Sporting Lisbon, a 0-5 home loss to Real Madrid, and a historic first point with a 0-0 draw against Pafos.

The team, coached by Rafael Urazbakhtin, is currently inactive following the end of the Kazakh league season, which Kairat won for the second year running. Their top scorer is 17-year-old Kazakh forward Dastan Satpaev, who netted 14 goals in the league and three more in the Champions League qualifiers. Kairat typically line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and boast a squad featuring eight different nationalities: alongside Kazakhstan, there are players from Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Israel, Georgia, Portugal and Brazil.

SOLID IN ATTACK AND DEFENCE: INTER'S STATS

Inter have made a flawless start to their European campaign with three wins and three clean sheets from three games. More broadly, the Nerazzurri have won nine of their last ten opening-stage Champions League fixtures without conceding, and remain the only team to keep ten clean sheets in the league phase since the start of last season.

Their attacking numbers are equally impressive: Inter have scored at least two goals in every game so far, and could join an elusive group if they repeat the feat this week: only three clubs in competition history have recorded four straight wins with multiple goals and four clean sheets – Bayern Munich (2012/13), Borussia Dortmund (2014/15) and Paris Saint-Germain (2017/18).

The 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise matched Inter’s record margin of victory in the Champions League. Their nine goals this season mark the Club’s best start to a campaign since 2010/11 (ten goals after three games).

LAUTARO'S RECORD BREAKING FORM

Lautaro Martínez’s goal in Brussels took him to 24 Champions League goals for Inter, making him the fourth-highest scoring Argentine in the competition’s history, behind Lionel Messi (129), Sergio Agüero (41) and Hernán Crespo (25). The Inter captain has scored 11 goals in his last 10 appearances; no player has found the net more often across major European competitions in 2025 (level with Harry Kane).

DISCIPLINARY RECORD

SUSPENDED Inter: - Kairat Almaty: -

ONE BOOKING FROM SUSPENSION Inter: - Kairat Almaty: Arad, Satpayev Arad, Satpaev (Kairat Almaty)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Luis Godinho (POR) Assistants: Rui Teixeira (POR), Pedro Almeida (POR) Fourth Official: António Nobre (POR) VAR: André Narciso (POR) Assistant VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)

WHERE TO WATCH ON TV

Inter vs Kairat Almaty, Matchday 4 of the Champions League 2025/26 league phase, kicks off at 21:00 CET on Wednesday 5 November. The game will be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video, available via the Amazon Prime Video app on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs and consoles.

COVERAGE ON INTER TV

Inter TV will provide live build-up and updates from San Siro ahead of kick-off. The Live Match pre-show starts at 19:30 CET, also streaming on the Club’s official YouTube channel until 20:15. Post-match coverage will include full analysis and player interviews.