Wales vs Kazakhstan prediction, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats
Wales welcome Kazakhstan to the Cardiff City Stadium this Saturday night as they kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign.
As far as Saturday night entertainment goes, a qualifying clash between the Welsh and the Kazakhs is unlikely to hit the spot. Still, it beats the hell out of watching Britain’s Got Talent at the same time.
Speaking of talent, Criag Bellamy is certainly showing some in his new capacity as manager. The 45-year-old has led the Dragons to a six-match unbeaten run, including a 4-1 demolition of Iceland last time out.
Before you judge and question the level of opposition, don’t forget we’re talking about the same Wales side that drew 0-0 with Gibraltar and lost 4-0 to Slovakia last summer. When you look at it that way, Bellamy’s done alright.
Securing promotion back to the elite of the UEFA Nations League marked a great start to his managerial career. The World Cup qualifiers now offer the ex-Liverpool and Man City winger an opportunity to make history.
Wales have only qualified for two World Cups in their entire history – this includes the 2022 tournament in Qatar which saw the Dragons go out in the group stage.
Back-to-back World Cup appearances would be a pretty astonishing achievement for a nation with a smaller population than the city of Madrid.
With Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Liechtenstein and Belgium making up their group, Wales should be aiming for a top two finish – starting with a confident opening win.
Wales team news
The biggest name on the Welsh injury list is captain Aaron Ramsey who is out for the remainder of the season following hamstring surgery.
Harry Wilson, Ethan Ampadu, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Wes Burns are the other big names to miss out on Saturday’s qualifying opener.
In order to fill the holes, Bellamy has drafted in 18-year-old Kai Andrews who will be hoping to get his first cap. Rangers star Tom Lawrence comes back into the fold after four years away from the national team.
Wales expected line-up
Ward – Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams – Allen, Lawrence, James – Johnson, Moore, Brooks
Kazakhstan team news
Veteran Askhat Tagybergen will be looking to bag his 60th cap when he leads his side to the Cardiff City stadium.
Arguably the biggest absentee for the visitors is Besiktas forward Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov who is struggling to get minutes at his club.
Kazakhstan expected line-up
Pokatilov – Astanov, Kasym, Alip, Vorogovskiy – Chesnokov, Tapalov, Tagybergen, Samorodov – Zhaksylykov, Aimbetov
Wales vs Kazakhstan: How to watch and listen
Saturday’s game will be available on BBC One Wales, BBC Three, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website, S4C and S4C Online. Live radio coverage will also be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Wales vs Kazakhstan stats
Kazakhstan failed to score a single goal in their UEFA Nations League campaign
Wales are unbeaten in six games, winning three of them
Just three of Wales’ last nine games ended with both teams scoring
Kazakhstan last scored a competitive goal back in November 2023 when they lost 2-1 in Slovenia
Craig Bellamy (Wales) pre-match quotes
On World Cup qualifying hopes (quotes from November)
“We want to go to a World Cup. We’ve got to get that ticked off. If we get to there, we want to then be competing. These players deserved to be there competing, because of their buy-in. It doesn’t matter what we can do coach wise. They’re in. When you have a group like that, their togetherness and who they are as people…
“I think I’m quite a humble person. I do. Some don’t know me. You might think you know me; you don’t know me. I believe I’m a humble person.
“But do you know, this group make you a humble person. We had a member of staff whose close relative passed away. Do you know what they want to do? Out of the players’ pool, donate something for the memory of them. That’s the type of group I am coaching.”
Wales vs Kazakhstan referee stats:
Lithuanian official Donatas Rumsas will be the man in the middle at the Cardiff City stadium this Saturday night.
The 37-year-old has officiated five games in the Champions League and Europa League this season, dishing out 20 cards including four reds.
Two of those red cards came out in his last Europa League outing as Lazio ended their 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen with nine men.
Wales vs Kazakhstan prediction:
If Wales are to have a serious shot at World Cup qualification, they simply can’t afford to drop points against the likes of Kazakhstan.
Bellamy’s men are expected to take all three points and do so comfortably against a team that lost 2-0 to North Korea in a friendly not too long ago.
See our full prediction below…
