Kazakhstan vs Austria

The Almaty Central Stadium is the venue as Kazakhstan and Austria square off in a lopsided UEFA Nations League encounter.

Kazakhstan’s chances of surviving their maiden League B campaign are thin after only picking up one point from the opening four Group B3 matches (D1, L3). With three remaining teams tied at seven points each, anything other than a win against Austria will result in automatic relegation. That’s a feat the hosts are eager to avoid, but a disappointing eight-game winless run since March doesn’t bode well (D1, L7). Furthermore, Stanislav Cherchesov’s men have been wasteful in front of goal, failing to score in their last five Nations League outings (D1, L4). On a more positive note, the Hawks are a tough nut to crack in familiar surroundings, as witnessed by their encouraging run of three victories in regulation from their last five Nations League home matches (D1, L1).

That’s unlikely to faze visiting Austria, especially following an emphatic 5-1 home victory against Norway last time out. After back-to-back winless outings at the start of their Group B3 campaign (D1, L1), Ralf Rangnick’s men have won consecutive matches to climb to second in the standings. Since only the top spot secures automatic League A promotion, there’s no room for complacency in the Austrian camp despite their unbeaten H2H record against Kazakhstan (W3, D2). They didn’t concede a single goal across those five meetings, suggesting only a second clean sheet in five games could be on the cards. However, it’s worth noting that the visitors have lost three of their last four away matches in the Nations League (D1).