Champions League Matchday 2: Kairat Almaty vs Real Madrid facts

Kairat Almaty's first home game in the UEFA Champions League proper brings 15-time winners Real Madrid to Kazakhstan on Matchday 2.

Last match

This is the first match between the teams. Kairat have never faced a Spanish club and it is Madrid’s first fixture against a team from Kazakhstan.

Kairat

Kairat are in the Champions League proper for the first time. Astana, in 2015/16, are the only side from Kazakhstan to feature, drawing four of their six games (L2) – one against Atlético de Madrid (0-0 h) after a 0-4 away defeat.

This is only Kairat's third Champions League campaign. They lost in the first qualifying round in 2005/06 and in the second qualifying round in 2021/22.

Kairat's only participation in a UEFA group stage/league phase was in the 2021/22 UEFA Conference League, when they finished bottom of their section (D2 L4).

Real Madrid

Madrid are in the Champions League proper for the 30th time, a competition record they share with Barcelona. They have qualified for the knockout rounds in all 29 campaigns.

A team coached by Carlo Ancelotti were 11th in last season's league phase (W5 L3), beating Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs and Atlético de Madrid on penalties in the round of 16 before a 1-5 aggregate quarter-final loss to Arsenal (0-3 a, 1-2 h).

Key stats

Kairat have lost only four of their last 30 home European games (W19 D7) and are unbeaten in four this season (W3 D1), keeping a clean sheet in all of them.

The four goals Kairat conceded at Sporting CP on Matchday 1 (1-4) are as many as in their previous eight European games combined.

Real Madrid have won 13 of their last 16 group stage/league phase matches (L3).

The 2-1 home win against Marseille on Matchday 1 made Madrid the first team to both win 200 matches and score 700 goals in the Champions League proper.

Kylian Mbappé's double against OM was the fourth successive season in which he has scored on Matchday 1.

Mbappé is three goals away from 60 in the Champions League proper; only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Raúl González have reached that mark.

None of Real Madrid’s last 60 group stage/league phase matches have finished goalless, since a 0-0 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in October 2015.

Madrid have kept only one clean sheet in 15 Champions League games.

Vinícius Júnior (25 years 80 days) could become the second youngest player to reach 70 appearances in the Champions League proper, after Iker Casillas (24 years 277 days).