FC "Kairat" has shared updates about their readiness for the upcoming season.

The champions of Kazakhstan in football, Almaty's "Kairat," have unveiled their squad for the 2025 season, during which the team is set to compete in several tournaments. A correspondent from Caravan.kz attended the team's presentation and discovered whether the team has enough resources to perform successfully across all fronts.

Before the current season, the four-time and reigning national champions strengthened their lineup with players from both Kazakhstan and abroad. The goalkeeper position was bolstered by former "Astana" keeper Alexander Zarutsky, while in midfield, "Kairat" now features Israeli Dani Gleizer, former "Tobol" player Erkin Tapalov, and in attack, the Almaty team has added Portuguese striker Jorge Gabriel Costa Monteiro (Jorge).

On February 22, "Kairat" will play their first match of the season for the Kazakhstan Super Cup at the "Astana Arena" against the Cup of Kazakhstan holder "Aktobe." The winner of this match will take home the trophy, marking the first significant test for the champions.

In March, during the first two rounds of the Kazakhstan Championship, "Kairat" will face the vice-champion "Astana" and the fourth-place team "Ordabasy." Later, "Kairat" will enter the Country Cup and League Cup, followed by the UEFA Champions League in the summer.

These grand plans are overshadowed by the fact that "Kairat" has not secured a single victory in Turkey during their last six friendly matches. Additionally, there have been instances where the team was leading during a match but ultimately lost.

The head coach of "Kairat," Rafael Urazbakhtin, is confident that the current roster is sufficient to effectively manage their efforts throughout the season and field optimal competitive lineups for all tournaments.

“We don’t attribute much significance to the results of the friendly matches at this stage; it’s more important for us to prepare for the championship games and the upcoming Super Cup match. Our main goal is to approach the season in optimal condition. As for the squad, I believe we are adequately staffed; all the players we wanted to keep and those we aimed to acquire are now part of our team. Everything is fine, we are ready for the championship and the year 2025,” said Rafael Urazbakhtin.

Rumors suggest that "Kairat" may add another foreign player before the transfer window closes, especially since the limit on foreigners has not changed and there is an available spot. However, Urazbakhtin did not confirm these discussions.

The team captain, midfielder Adilet Sadybekov, noted that he has nearly recovered from his injury, and the exact date of his return will be known after tests. However, he has participated in training camps.

“I can say that the guys are 100% ready; during the training camps, the young players also participated, and everyone was given playing time, showing themselves well. We have set high goals,” said Sadybekov.

It is also noteworthy that the team is expecting the arrival of coaches from "Chelsea," who are set to oversee their new player Dastan Satpaev; however, a preliminary interaction scheme has yet to be established.

The season will kick off at the team's home Central Stadium in Almaty. Whether they will be able to play all their home matches at their native arena throughout the season or if the second half of the season will coincide with the start of the reconstruction of this iconic venue remains unconfirmed by the club, as it is not within the football club's authority and depends on the plans of the Almaty akimat.