Kairat head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin shared his expectations for the first match of the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Levski. The specialist stated that the Almaty club has thoroughly studied the Bulgarian champions and understands their strengths. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
"A very serious match awaits us because we are facing a strong opponent. We perfectly understand and realize all their strength. I believe that we have sufficient information about Levski and have managed to study the team in detail – there was enough time for this," Urazbakhtin said before the game.
Last season, Levski became champions of Bulgaria for the first time in 17 years, ending Ludogorets' long-standing dominance. Urazbakhtin considers this result natural and specifically highlights the attacking line of Julio Velázquez's team.
"We know what is happening in Bulgarian football: Ludogorets dominated there for a long time, but the fact that Levski became champions is not a coincidence. They have a strong, fast attacking line. We understand who and how they play. We respect the opponent, but at the same time we are not afraid of anyone," the coach noted.
The specialist also commented on the factor of home stands. Levski traditionally enjoys great support in Sofia, but Urazbakhtin reminded that Kairat players already have experience performing in front of a multi-thousand audience.
"We have heard that Levski has the largest fan base in the country, and the fans support very fiercely. Many teams succumb to this pressure, but we already have past experience playing in big stadiums with 50–60 thousand spectators," he added.
Urazbakhtin also noted the historical ties between Kazakh football and Bulgarian specialists. In particular, he recalled Stanimir Stoilov, who led both Levski and Astana to the Champions League group stage.
"We are connected by interesting historical parallels. We remember the great mark left by Stanimir Stoilov – he first brought Levski to the Champions League, and then Astana. We appreciate and respect this. Also, Dimitar Dimitrov worked in Kazakhstan, and we crossed paths with Nikolay Kostov as opponents," the specialist said.
The return match against Levski will be held not in Almaty, but in Turkistan. Earlier, Urazbakhtin noted that the team would have to accept this situation and adapt to it.
"It so happened that our home match will take place in another city. If we played in Almaty, we would strongly rely on our fans, who would help us. But we have to accept this situation and prepare for two matches," the coach stated.
Urazbakhtin also reported that the club continues to work on the transfer market. There remains a free spot in the squad for a foreign player.
"The club is working on transfers. We have a free spot for a legionnaire, and we are searching for exactly those players who would suit us in terms of capabilities and style," the specialist noted.
Separately, the head coach highlighted the progress of Ismail Bekbolat.
"As for Ismail Bekbolat, he has been performing excellently in recent matches, scoring in a Champions League game. For him, these matches are a big school and tremendous experience. It is important that he continues to progress and develop thanks to matches of this level," said Urazbakhtin.
Recall that Kairat advanced to the third qualifying round of the Champions League by defeating Cyprus's Omonia on penalties. The Almaty team won the return match 1:0, leveled the aggregate score, and won the penalty shootout 6:5. Levski, in turn, defeated Romania's Universitatea with an aggregate score of 3:2.
The first match of the third qualifying round will take place tomorrow, August 4, in Sofia, with the return match on August 11 in Turkistan.
Earlier, the head coach of the Bulgarian team, Julio Velázquez, shared his expectations for the upcoming match.