Stadium: Astana Arena (Astana)
In the first round of the World Cup 2022 qualifying the teams of Ukraine and Kazakhstan tied with a score of 1-1. Will these teams break the tie and get the victory in the upcoming match? Our prediction: this time Oleksandr Petrakov's wards will win!
Kazakhstan form
Team Kazakhstan is a middle-class team by European standards, which does not perform greately. Throughout its history, they have never qualified for major international tournaments, and even now have no such prospects. Nevertheless, Talgat Baysufinov's charges have had a decent start in World Cup 2022 qualifying: first, they avoided a crushing defeat against the reigning world champions France, losing 0-2, and then tied in an away game with Euro 2020 participants Ukraine - 1-1. Alas, all this was not enough even to escape from last place in the standings.
Ukraine form
The Ukraine national team is a regular participant in continental championships, but they have not played in the world forums since 2006, when they unexpectedly reached the quarterfinals of the tournament. And now the team has got off to a very mixed start in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers. Yes, in the first round, they were able to take away a sensational draw in an away game against France - 1-1, but then they twice tied with Finland and Kazakhstan with the same score - 1-1, and both times played at home. That's why, currently, the team is in second place in the standings, with three points in three games. That's not enough!
Expert betting tips
The Ukraine national team has historically played well against Kazakhstan, winning their past four head-to-head encounters, but in the first round of World Cup 2022, Andriy Shevchenko's charges sensationally settled for only a draw. Of course, the Ukrainians are now the odds-on favorite to win the upcoming game, as another point loss against the underdogs will minimize the team's chances of qualifying for Qatar. As a result, we are forced to bet on the victory of the Ukrainian team with a handicap (-1.5) at an odds of about 2.54.
The Ukraine national team made its debut in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup with three consecutive draws, and with the same score of 1-1. It is not difficult to find that each time "yellow-blue" both scored themselves and were allowed to mark the goals of the opponents. At Euro 2020, the Ukrainian national team has played five matches in which they failed to score. At the same time, Alexander Petrakov's charges must also score against such a middle-class opponent as Kazakhstan, so the best option for the forecast seems to be for Both Teams to Score - Yes at odds close to 2.40.
The Ukrainian national team is the unconditional favorite in the upcoming match because they need to get the three points, otherwise, their prospects of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup will be too vague. Kazakhstan's national team is noted for its strong character, so they will patiently defend, and with each passing moment, they become more and more confident. That is why it is very important for the Ukrainians to score a fastball to then systematically develop their advantage, forcing the opponent to go on offense, exposing the areas in the defense. In such a situation it is worth looking at a bet on the fact that the first goal in the match will take place from 1 to 29 minutes inclusive with the odds of about 1.49.