Amid endless road trips and jet lag to overcome, the Kazakh team arrives in Milan at risk of quickly becoming a sacrificial lamb. But Chivu has no intention of tolerating lapses in concentration, especially given the apparent solidity of Urazbakhtin’s team

It’s the kind of romantic story. Almost fairy-tale-like. The Cinderella of the Champions League who, however—unlike the Disney princess—must endure hours and hours of travel, international (almost intercontinental) flights, layovers, and recover from severe jet lag to live out her own fairy tale. Because Almaty may well be Kazakhstan’s most populous city, but it’s nearly 7,000 km from San Siro Stadium. And the team is likely to feel every one of those kilometers. Will the 10-hour flight to Milan be a factor in tomorrow’s match against Inter? It’s too early to say, especially considering that the Kazakh team also has some weaknesses—particularly on the technical front. One thing is certain, however: the Qazaqstan Prem’er Ligasy champions will be fully intent on making the most of a prestigious stage like the Meazza. They’ll field the same lineup that just clinched the league title: on Sunday, October 26, Kairat secured another title with a home draw against Astana, and today they hope to replicate that success—though on paper, it’s a far more difficult task—at Inter’s home stadium.

So far in Europe, Kairat has played three matches, earning one point in their debut against another underdog, Pafos, and none against Sporting Lisbon and Real Madrid. They’ve scored one goal and conceded nine. But don’t be fooled by the numbers: the Kazakh team is solid and physically strong, even though the goals conceded might suggest otherwise. Against Real Madrid, they stayed in the game for long stretches of the first half, falling behind only due to a penalty kick before the Blancos pulled away in the closing minutes. The story was similar in the match against the Portuguese side: they were down only as the first 45 minutes were winding down, then collapsed, conceding three goals in three minutes. This is a tactical advantage that Inter can exploit tomorrow to propel Chivu into the pantheon of record-breaking coaches, as the Romanian could become the first coach ever to win his first four European matches without conceding a single goal. Has he thought about it? Probably, but first they have to get past Kairat. “I don’t listen to the chatter,” said the Nerazzurri coach as he previewed the match. “I know an important and difficult game awaits us. Winning in the Champions League is never a given. We’re facing a team that has made it through four qualifying rounds, even eliminating Celtic.”

Kazakh defense and…—  So far, the Kazakhs’ coach, Rafael Urazbakhtin, has often opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation that shifts to a 4-4-2 when not in possession to gain solidity. And the roster is primarily built around domestic players, with just the right amount of creativity added by foreign players: there are 15 “locals” out of a squad of 28 registered players. The rest? There’s a bit of Eastern Europe (Russia, Belarus, Serbia, and Georgia), a couple of Portuguese players, two Israelis with German passports, and four Brazilians—all in the attack (Ricardinho, João Paulo, Edmilson, and Elder Santana). However, 50% of them will be out due to injury. Kalmyrza started in goal for the first two matches but was replaced in the starting lineup in the last game (which was Kairat’s only clean sheet) by Anarbekov. Generally speaking, though, the starting eleven remains largely the same: a defensive line consisting of Tapalov, Martynovich, Sorokin, and Machado Mata; Kasabulat and Arad in midfield; while there’s more variation in the attacking midfield. The team’s standout player is the youngest of them all, Dastan Satpaev (born in 2008), who has 14 goals and 7 assists in 26 league games. Many are convinced he’ll go far; in the meantime, Chelsea—as usual—has beaten out the competition and paid Kairat nearly 2.5 million euros to bring him into the Blues’ Under-21 squad starting next summer. Will the youngster make it big? Inter hopes not. Or at least not starting today…