Finland – Kazakhstan : Preview & Prediction
Anything less than a win would be a devastating blow to the ambitions of Finland and Kazakhstan, who are tied on 12 points and four behind in the automatic qualification places for Euro 2024. Group I leaders Slovenia and Denmark could be out of reach for any team dropping points in this match, a fate the Finns will be desperate to avoid as they look to participate in the second major tournament in their history.
Markku Kanerva’s side lost to the group leaders in their previous two knockout matches, and having failed to score in those two games, it is in attack where they will be desperate to improve. Finland will be grateful to be playing at home, as their loss to Denmark in their previous home appearance in this knockout campaign was preceded by a run of five straight wins at home. Surely this clash will have an all-or-nothing approach, with Finland having won or lost in Euro qualifiers at home since October 2015 (G6, P2 since then).
Kazakhstan also seem to be allergic to draws, with none of their last 12 matches ending with that result (G6, P6). A 3-1 loss to Denmark at the weekend brought them to the point of no return, but even if they fail to reach the next Euro, this campaign can be considered a success with their four wins in this qualifying campaign being the most they have ever recorded.
Their hopes of qualifying for their first major tournament as an independent country now depend on getting a first win against their opponents, but with all of their previous five official head-to-heads ending in defeat and Kazakhstan scoring just once, confidence could be low going into this game. However, playing away has benefited them of late, with Kazakhstan winning three of their last five European Championship qualifiers in that capacity (P2), after losing 14 of their first 20 such matches (G2, E4).
Players to watch: Finland’s Benjamin Källman directly contributed to three goals in five appearances in this qualifying cycle (two goals, one assist), including the assist for the game-winning goal in the previous meeting between the two. Kazakhstan striker Abat Aymbetov has scored two goals in Group I, one of which was the decisive goal in his team’s most recent away win over Northern Ireland.
Key stat: None of Finland’s last six matches have seen both teams score.
Finland – Kazakhstan : Betting Tips
Finland – Win Odds: 1.65
