Former Kairat captain Bauyrzhan Islamkhan, who now plays for Astana, has expressed confidence that the Almaty club can overcome Bulgaria's Levski and advance to the Champions League qualifying playoff round. In the first leg of the third qualifying round, Rafael Urazbakhtin's team lost 0-1 in Sofia. The return match will take place tomorrow, August 11, in Turkestan, reports infohub.kz.
"You know, I played for Kairat for so many years. I will support them with all my heart in the upcoming game. I wish them luck and think they will advance to the next round," Islamkhan said in an interview with Sports24.kz.
Islamkhan also commented on the match being moved from Almaty. The return leg was relocated from the Central Stadium in Almaty to the Turkestan Arena. The reason is a Kanye West concert scheduled for August 14. Islamkhan admitted he would have preferred to see the decisive match in Almaty but believes the change of venue should not hinder Kairat.
"For me, of course, it seems better if they played in Almaty. But no matter the situation, no matter the stadium, the game will be in Kazakhstan. They will give their all for victory. I wish them luck," the player said.
To advance, Kairat must overturn the narrow deficit from the first leg. A one-goal win would force extra time, while a larger victory would see them through on aggregate. The winner of the tie will face Greek side AEK in the Champions League qualifying playoff round.
Islamkhan played for Kairat from 2014 to 2019 and was captain for a significant part of that period. In total, the midfielder made 224 official appearances for the Almaty club and scored 64 goals, including 50 goals in 169 league matches. With Kairat, Islamkhan won the Kazakhstan Cup four times – in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018 – and the Super Cup twice, in 2016 and 2017.
Earlier, sports journalist Eldar Amanbayev shared his prediction for the upcoming match with a Kursiv correspondent.