Russia vs Kazakhstan Predictions

Russia have a commanding position in Group I, with a five-point lead over third. They are hosting third-placed Kazakhstan this week, which means it is a chance for the Russians to close in on the Euros. They have made a strong start to the group with four wins from five, while the 2018 World Cup hosts are heavy favourites to secure another victory when they meet Kazakhstan this week. Can the hosts follow up on their pre-match billing and claim a vital three points in their qualification bid?

Russia are in fine form in their bid to make the Euros, with four straight wins taking them into the top two. They know that they don’t have to face Belgium – the only side to beat them so far – until November. That gives Russia a great chance to wrap up a place at Euro 2020 early, especially if they can widen their lead over Kazakhstan this week. A 2-1 win at Scotland has put them in pole position for the tournament, with the sides below them all struggling to find any kind of consistency.

The visitors are coming here with a 4-0 win over San Marino as their only win in their last four games in this group. While they thumped the minnows, the visitors have just seven points from five matches, following a 1-1 draw at Cyprus. That draw has practically ruled both sides out of a top-two finish, while a loss here would spell the end for the visitors. While they gave themselves hope thanks to a 3-0 home win over Scotland to open the campaign, they’ve seen their form fizzle out.

The hosts fell behind against Scotland, but that was a rare goal conceded from the Russians. They had won three games to nil on the spin before that, while they will expect to improve their defensive record when they return home. A 4-0 victory at Kazakhstan in March suggests that this big qualification showdown isn’t going to be that close, while that loss was another example of Kazakhstan’s poor scoring record.

The visitors have been beaten to nil by Russia and Belgium so far, while only one of their five matches in this campaign has seen both teams score. On top of that, Russia have kept a clean sheet in the last three meetings between these two, while the hosts look good to make it four on the spin. Russia haven’t conceded in their last four at home, so we are going with Russia to win to nil here. Given that the hosts have hit 10 goals across three meetings with Kazakhstan, a 3-0 home win is our correct score pick.