Preview: Kazakhstan vs Norway – Prediction, team news, lineups

Kazakhstan play their first game in League B of the UEFA Nations League when they welcome Norway to Almaty on Friday.

The visitors arrive fresh and rested at the start of a new tournament cycle and hope that the Nations League will provide them with the opportunity to end their two-and-a-half-decade wait to participate in a major final.

Game Preview

© Imago

Stale SolbakkenFor Norway, the long road to the 2026 World Cup begins with their first ever meeting with Kazakhstan, lured by a possible play-off place that could come with a good performance in this section.

With Austria and Slovenia also in Group B3, all four teams have a good chance of being competitive. However, Norway will have to significantly improve on its recent performances in the competition.

Norwegian fans will still remember the late collapse against Scotland in Euro 2024 qualifying, which ultimately cost them a place in the finals, as well as the two points they lost in Georgia.

Had they not capitulated late in their last Nations League campaign, they could have fallen back on the path to the play-offs, but despite picking up ten points from their first four games, Norway lost their final two matches to relinquish top spot to Serbia.

These recent results only increase the pressure on Solbakken and superstar players Erling Haaland And Martin Odegaardthat will occur in the next three months.

Firstly, Solbakken will be looking to avoid defeat in back-to-back matches for only the second time as Norway coach, after his team lost 3-1 to Denmark last time out.

However, it will not be easy for Kazakhstan, as after a brilliant qualification for the 2024 European Championship, the team wants to continue its rise on the international stage.

© Imago

With six wins from ten games, the Kazakhs almost qualified for a major tournament for the first time since their independence, but in the end they missed automatic qualification by four points and had to go into the playoffs, where they were clearly beaten by Greece.

That play-off spot was secured by promotion from League C in 2022, as home and away wins against Slovakia helped them top their group with 13 points, just weeks after surviving relegation to League D with victories over Moldova.

The man who will lead them into their first season in League B is Stanislav Cherchesovthe coach who coached Russia at the 2018 World Cup on home soil, taking his team agonisingly close to the semi-finals before losing to Croatia on penalties.

Cherchesov's first goal will be to end the current four-game losing streak, as after the friendlies against Armenia and Azerbaijan in June, every game so far in 2024 has ended in defeat.

Kazakhstan Form (All Competitions):

Norway Form (All Competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Only five players in Kazakhstan's 26-man squad are based outside of the country, two of them in neighboring Russia, but many of the team's players were part of its recent rise to the top.

Anyone who does not live at home is Abat Aimbetovwho will look to continue his good goalscoring qualities after scoring three goals in both the recent Euro 2024 qualifying round and the last edition of the Nations League.

Key players Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov is likely to play an important role, but he has not played for Besiktas this season, having only recently returned from a summer injury.

Odegaard will captain the Norwegian team here, supporting the irrepressible Haaland, who has scored 31 goals in just 33 international matches and has seven Premier League goals in three games this season after scoring two consecutive hat-tricks for Manchester City.

Haaland will probably be at the top with Alexander Sorlothwho is currently the unsung Norwegian footballer, as his 23 La Liga goals for Villarreal last season earned him a move to Atletico Madrid.

In fact, Norway's top two strikers currently top the goalscoring list in Europe's five major leagues in 2024, with Haaland scoring 20 goals and Sorloth 18 – both more than any other player this calendar year.

Solbakken has seen Kristoffer Ajer, Fredrik Sjovold And Osame Sahraoui withdraw at short notice due to injury, Oscar Bobwho had suffered a serious injury on the eve of the season, on the sidelines.

Possible starting eleven for Kazakhstan:
Shatsky; Kairov, Bystrov, Marochkin, Alip, Vorogovskiy; Chesnokov, Kuat, Zaynutdinov, Orazov; Aimbetov

Possible starting eleven for Norway:
Nyland; Ryerson, Hanche-Olsen, Ostigard, Pedersen; Odegaard, Berge, Thorsby; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa

We think: Kazakhstan 1-2 Norway

Kazakhstan have improved rapidly in recent times, and have managed to gain promotion to the second tier of the Nations League just two years after nearly slipping into the fourth tier, so they are a team that cannot be underestimated in this tight group.

Norway are up against a dangerous team that scared many established nations in Euro 2024 qualifying, and they're playing so far from home. That means Norway cannot take this game lightly. But with the attacking quality at their disposal, Solbakken's team have a slight advantage.

Click here to see a data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match.

Preview by email