The goal drought continued for Kazakhstan as the team failed to find the net for the third time in a row. Now come Slovenia, with an ambition to make it two out of two against this opponent in the Nations League.
Kazakhstan’s days in League B seem to be numbered as the team failed to match the level of this higher tier. Their only point came after a hard-fought draw against Norway, a match that was entirely one-sided and Kazakhstan didn’t even shoot at the goal once.
There is a positive side ahead of this fixture. While Kazakhstan would like to forget about their recent outings, their home performances have been far more impressive. The team lost only three times in the last ten matches in Almaty.
However, one of these three defeats came against Slovenia and happened last year, which is very important for us now. The Dragons cannot afford mistakes after losing 3-0 to Norway on Thursday. Crushing Kazakhstan will be the only way to retain their chances of finishing 2nd in this group.
How the bookies view it: Kazakhstan overpriced?
Bookmakers expect Kazakhstan to remain winless after the reverse fixture and give Slovenia the upper hand. Betano estimated Kazakhstan’s chances to be 39/10, while the Dragons sit with ¾ to win on the road. The draw is priced at 53/20.
Recent head-to-head: Newest one-sided rivalry
This will be the fourth meeting between these two national teams in the last couple of years. They were both part of Group H of the Euro qualifications and played twice in 2023 before running it again for the Nations League in September. Slovenia won all three games to date, with 2-1, 1-2, and 3-0.
Players to watch: Sesko carries Slovenia
Slovenia have a new young star and his name is Benjamin Sesko. RB Leipzig’s striker has scored all four of the team’s goals in the Nations League this year, netting a hat-trick in the reverse fixture against Kazakhstan. He also scored against them last year in the Euro qualifiers. He will be hungry for more and we expect him to find the net at least once again.
Probable line-ups
Kazakhstan: Shatskiy, Bystrov, Maily, Marochin, Alip, Vorogovskiy, Chesnokov, Beysebekov, Kuat, Orazov, Samorodov
Slovenia: Oblak, Janza, Drkusic, Bijol, Balkovec, Stojanovic, Cerin, Elsnik, Petrovic, Sporar, Sesko
Anything else catch the eye?
Kazakhstan stand unbeaten in four consecutive home matches but apart from Norway, they hardly faced any considerable opposition. Do San Marino and Northern Ireland count as a challenge?
Slovenia have a stronger squad and should be the team that controls the pace but we expect a competitive clash. Kazakhstan could find the net for the first time in the Nations League like they did last time Slovenia travelled to Almaty.
Slovenia’s only away game in the new campaign ended in disaster on Thursday and we saw too many weaknesses in their defence. Kazakhstan do not have an Erling Haaland but we expect to see at least one goal even if they lose the match.
This UEFA Nations League match between Kazakhstan and Slovenia will be played on Oct 13, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Kazakhstan vs Slovenia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
