Real Madrid's 4,000-Mile Journey to Kazakhstan for UCL Clash

Almaty, Sep 30 (AP) — Real Madrid is set for an extraordinary and lengthy journey to Kazakhstan to play against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League this Tuesday. Kazakhstan made its entry into UEFA in 2002, leaving its former association with the Asian Football Confederation. While geographically, only the western half of Kazakhstan is considered European, Real Madrid's trip extends all the way to the capital located in the eastern part of the country, covering nearly 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) from Madrid.

Madrid's coach, Xabi Alonso, has emphasized adaptability, saying, “You have to adapt, it's not a question of whether the trip bothers you or not. It's just another game, and the trip is neither an impediment nor an excuse.” After an opening 2-1 victory against Marseille, Madrid looks to recover quickly following a harsh 5-2 loss to city rivals Atlético Madrid in La Liga on Saturday, marking their first defeat of the season.

Kairat Almaty, who lost their tournament debut 4-1 at Sporting Lisbon, boasts a formidable European home record with only four losses over their last 30 matches held in Almaty. In another matchup, Bayern Munich travels to Cyprus to face tournament newcomers Pafos.

Atlético is set to play against Eintracht Frankfurt, recovering from nearly squandering a six-goal advantage, culminated in a thrilling 6-4 triumph over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday. Chelsea is eager to host José Mourinho at Stamford Bridge as they play Benfica. Mourinho, previously branding himself as the “Special One,” had two significant stints managing Chelsea.

In other games, Tottenham, which previously triumphed against Bodø/Glimt within the Arctic Circle during the Europa League semifinals in May, will revisit for the Norwegian champion's inaugural home game in the group stage of the Champions League.

Elsewhere, Liverpool will head to Galatasaray, Marseille faces Ajax at home, and Club Brugge travels to Italy to duel with Atalanta, while Inter Milan goes up against Slavia Prague. (AP)

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