Overview

• Kickoff is 12:45 p.m. ET (5:45 p.m. BST) at Almaty Central Stadium in Kazakhstan.
• Coach Xabi Alonso said the long travel is no excuse, stressing the need to adapt to the schedule.
• Kairat reached the group stage for the first time after a playoff run that included a penalty shootout win over Celtic.
• The hosts opened with a 4-1 defeat at Sporting Lisbon but have lost only four of their last 30 European home games in Almaty.
• Broadcasts include a free stream on Virgin Media Player in Ireland, Paramount+ in the U.S., TNT Sports in the U.K., and Sony/SonyLIV in India, with reports earlier suggesting Kylian Mbappé could be rested.