Armenia vs Kazakhstan
International Friendly, KO: 17:00 Jun 7, 2024, Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium
ARMENIA host Kazakhstan in an international friendly on Friday with both teams looking to snap out of recent struggles. Neither side has been at their best lately and as they are particularly poor at the back, goals could be expected here.
Armenia head into Friday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Slovenia in a friendly on Tuesday. Varazdat Haroyan got their only goal as they proved to be no match for the Euro 2024 bound team.
That result is part of a poor run of form for Armenia, who are winless in their last nine matches across all competitions. One of the major problems is a lack of discipline at the back as Oleksandr Petrakov’s men have failed to keep a single clean sheet in that run.
Kazakhstan were one of the surprise teams during the Euro 2024 qualifiers and for a while looked like they were going to secure a place in the tournament. However, Stanislav Cherchesov’s men ultimately lost their way and have now lost three of their last four matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Luxembourg in their previous friendly fixture.
That defeat to Luxembourg is part of a poor record on the road for Kazakhstan, who have lost four of their last five away matches. Like their hosts, poor defending has also played a part in that run, a fact highlighted by the 5-0 defeat in Greece.
How the bookies view it: Advantage Armenia
Armenia have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at evens by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Kazakhstan is valued at 11/5 while a draw is set at odds of 9/4.
Recent head to head: Armenia on top
Armenia have come out on top in recent meetings with three wins and a draw from the last four matches against Kazakhstan. However, both teams played out a 1-1 draw in the last meeting back 2017.
Players to watch: Chesnekov in form
Edgar Sevikyan often features in attack for Armenia and could be worth keeping an eye on in Friday’s clash. The forward is priced at 5/2 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Islam Chesnekov has caught the eye for Kazakhstan in recent times, scoring three goals in the last five matches. The attacker could be the one to watch and is priced at 15/4 by bet365 to find the net on Friday.
Probable line-up
Armenia are likely to make some changes to the team that lost in Slovenia with the likes of Vahan Bichakhchyan, Zhirayr Shaghoyan and David Davidyan all in line to feature.
Abat Aymbetov is expected to lead the line for Kazakhstan once again with Islam Chesnekov also likely to feature in attack.
Armenia: Cancarevic, Davidyan, Harutyunyan, Haroyan, Mkrtchyan, Tiknizyan, Dashyan, Bichakhchyan, Spertsyan, Shaghoyan, Sevikyan
Kazakhstan: Shatsky, Bystrov, Maliy, Marochkin, Alice, Vorogovsky, Chesnekov, Beisebekov, Kuat, Orazov, Aymbetov
Anything else catch the eye?
Armenia and Kazakhstan often struggle defensively and both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with bet365. The Armenians have seen over 2.5 goals in their last two matches and a repeat is priced at 11/10 by bet365, who is also offering 11/4 for over 3.5 goals.
Friday’s clash is also likely to be a closely fought encounter, so a halftime draw could be considered at 11/10 by bet365.
This International Friendly match between Armenia and Kazakhstan will be played on Jun 7, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Armenia vs Kazakhstan prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
