Sporting Lisbon vs Kairat Almaty Prediction and Betting Tips | September 18th 2025

Thursday will mark a memorable date in Kairat Almaty's history as they make their UEFA Champions League debut against Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. While the Kazakhstan outfit have been handed a tough draw, they will look to show their mettle against one of the biggest clubs in Portugal.

Sporting Lisbon had to dig deep to secure maximum points at the weekend when they fought back from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Famalicao in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

Having kicked off the season with a 1-0 loss against rivals Benfica in the Portuguese Super Cup on July 31, Rui Borges’ men have won four of their opening five league matches, with a 2-1 loss versus Porto on August 30 being the exception.

Sporting Lisbon turn their focus to the Champions League, where they are making consecutive group-stage appearances for the first time since 2021, having clinched the Primeira Liga title last season.

As for Kairat Almaty, they secured a Champions League berth after a challenging run in the qualifiers, where they brushed aside Olimpija, KuPS and Slovan Bratislava to set up a crunch playoff clash against Celtic.

Rafael Urazbakhtin’s men left the Scottish powerhouse stunned in August’s playoff as they held their own for a goalless draw across the two legs to force penalties, where they picked up a 3-2 win.

Ahead of their UCL debut on Wednesday, Kairat Almaty picked up a morale-boosting result at the weekend when they secured a 1-0 victory over Aktobe in the Kazakhstan Premier League.

Sporting Lisbon vs Kairat Almaty Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• This will be the first-ever meeting between Sporting Lisbon and Kairat Almaty, and both teams will be looking to begin their rivalry on a positive note.
• Kairat Almaty are unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions, picking up six wins and two draws since late July.
• Sporting Lisbon are unbeaten in all but one of their most recent 11 competitive home matches, claiming six wins and four draws since mid-February.
• Kairat have lost just two of their last nine away matches in all competitions since late May while picking up four wins and three draws in that time.

Sporting Lisbon vs Kairat Almaty Prediction

While Kairat Almaty will be looking to stun Sporting Lisbon and pick up a dream welcome in the Champions League, they have their work cut out against the home side, who boast a significantly superior and more experienced squad.

However, given the gulf in quality and depth between the two teams, we are backing Borges’ men to come away with all three points unscathed in front of their home support.

Prediction: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Kairat Almaty

Sporting Lisbon vs Kairat Almaty Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Sporting Lisbon to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in four of Sporting’s last five matches)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - Yes (There have also been at least five bookings in six of the hosts’ last seven matches)

Edited by Peter P