There have been a few surprises in a Nations League group, where Austria seemed like a firm favourite for the first spot. Namely, that Ralf Ragnick’s team has failed to deliver thus far. There were also some hints of a surprise, especially after Kazakhstan’s robust draw with Norway, but these seemed to have been quelled down. Now, we will see if Austria can recapture their form and if Kazakhstan have it in them to surprise everybody.
Austria Team News
After a good European Cup in which Austria was one of the tournament’s surprise packages, what followed was a drop in form. Whether surprising or not, it is still a fact. Ralf Ragnick’s men have collected just one point after their opening two Nations League fixtures – a draw with Slovenia and a loss to Norway. However, Austria’s woes in this tournament also span back to the previous edition, when the team was in League A. Looking back at their last 7 fixtures in the Nations League we will see 5 losses and 2 draws. Against Kazakhstan, this team has a great chance to break this streak, provided they keep their cool and stop conceding early goals, something which has been one of the weak sides of Austria.
Kazakhstan Team News
Kazakhstan has never competed at this level of the Nations League and there were some thoughts that Stanislav Cherchesov’s team might be a dark horse of a sort. This certainly had merit after their opening game, which saw Kazakhstan hold Norway to a draw at home. What followed, however, was a bringing down to Earth in Slovenia with a 3-0 loss. This defeat is sure to be a reminder that the challenges in League B are far greater than the ones previously faced by Kazakhstan. What is also worrying for this team is the fact that they are on a 6 away game losing streak as Kazakhstan has not seen anything but defeats in their last 6 trips, regardless of whether they were friendlies or competitive games.
Head-to-Head-Games
Austria and Kazakhstan last met in 2012 and it was Austria that hosted that game. Unfortunately for Kazakhstan, it ended in a 4-0 loss for them. Before that, Kazakhstan did manage to hold Austria to two 0-0 draws and once again lost, this time with 2-0. What is common across all of these games is that Stanislav Cherchesov’s team has never managed to score against Austria.
Austria – Kazakhstan Betting Prediction
Despite Austria’s problems in defence, they have never conceded a goal against Kazakhstan. The latter has also failed to score in their first two League B games as well and has faced severe issues on the road. My pick here would be for Austria to win and both teams to score – no. Ralf Ragnick’s boys will certainly try to use this game to jump back in the battle for the first spot and the manager has also made 5 new call-ups to his squad in comparison to the September one. I believe these changes will prove enough to bring Austria on the winning track with a clean sheet here.
Betting Tip: Austria To Win & Both Teams To Score: No
Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
Odds: 1.73
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