Champions League
2025-09-18 - Sporting Lisbon vs Kairat Almaty
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League
Thursday 18th September 2025 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Sporting Lisbon
Eleven months ago, the hope for Ruben Amorim was that he would remain as manager of Sporting Lisbon and then take over at Old Trafford in the summer. He guided the Portuguese Champions to 10 points from the opening four Champions League games and Amorim wanted to help the club win consecutive Portuguese titles for the first time in over seventy years, but ultimately was forced into a decision where he ended up leaving for Manchester United.
Things did not go very well for Sporting Lisbon the rest of the way in the Champions League and they failed to win any of 6 games in the competition following Amorim's departure. This resulted in a defeat in the Play Off Round in February, but Rui Borges still guided them to another top flight domestic title and they will be looking to match the achievement of last season by progressing out of the League Phase of the Champions League again.
Sporting Lisbon lost the Portuguese Super Cup, but have won 4 of the opening 5 fixtures since then. However, the defeat was a 1-2 loss to rivals Porto, and that ended Sporting's run of 4 straight home wins in all competitions.
Rui Silva is a doubt for the home team.
Kairat Almaty
Upsets over the likes of Slovan Bratislava and Celtic, two teams that competed in the Champions League Group Stage last season, has helped Kairat Almaty surprisingly make their debut at this Stage of the competition. The previous best was reaching the Conference League Group Stage, but Kairat Almaty have been able to win four Qualifying ties to reach the League Phase alongside the elite of the continent.
Anything they achieve from here will be a bonus and every goal and point will be celebrated as if the club have won the Champions League. No one will be in any doubt that this is a significant test for Kairat Almaty in this section and the main ambition may be to avoid finishing 36th in the standings.
Kairat Almaty upset Celtic of the Scottish Premiership on Penalties after both Legs of that tie ended goalless and they have won back to back domestic fixtures by the same 1-0 scoreline. Despite reaching the Champions League Group Stage, it should be noted that prior to the draw in Glasgow, Kairat Almaty had lost away Champions League ties at KuPS and Slovan Bratislava.
Aleksandr Zarutskiy is a doubt for the away team. Dastan Satpayev is set to join Chelsea next summer and the teenager is available having served a suspension in the Second Leg against Celtic in the last Qualifying Round.
Head to Head
This is the first time these two clubs have met in a competitive fixture.
Prediction
There has been a lot to like about Sporting Lisbon at both ends of the pitch in their early fixtures and they have yet to show they miss Victor Gyokeres.
Scoring goals has not been much of a problem, although losses to Benfica and Porto may suggest the club have taken a step backwards as they look to make it a hat-trick of domestic titles in a row.
The defensive numbers have also been decent and Sporting Lisbon are expected to get the better of Kairat Almaty in this opening Champions League fixture.
The Kazakhstan Champions have upset the odds by winning four Qualifying Rounds to reach the League Phase, but the positive results were largely earned at home. Kairat Almaty did earn a goalless draw at Celtic in the last Qualifying Round, but the feeling is that the result said more about Celtic than the former and it is the third away Champions League game without a goal.
The previous two had ended in defeat at KuPS and Slovan Bratislava and this has all of the makings of a home victory with a clean sheet.
Sporting Lisbon may have only kept 2 clean sheets in 6 matches so far this season, but Kairat Almaty represent a significant step down compared to usual level of opponents. Overall the defensive numbers have been good enough from the Portuguese Champions to believe they can contain much of what the visitors bring and that should show up in the final score.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sporting Lisbon 2-0 Kairat Almaty
