Slovakia vs Kazakhstan Prediction 29 September 2026
🔊 Four years ago, Kazakhstan beat Slovakia twice in League C of the Nations League. Slovakia lost the first meeting at home 0-1 and sacked their manager Štefan Tarkovič the following day. Now the two sides are in the same group again, and for Slovakia it is their third consecutive Nations League campaign at this level. In the opening round, Slovakia won their match, while Kazakhstan picked up a point away in the Faroe Islands under their new manager.
Head-to-Head
📊 The two sides have met only twice, both matches coming in the summer of 2022. In Trnava, the game was decided by a Darabayev strike from an Elkhan Astanov assist. In the return fixture in Kazakhstan, the hosts won 2-1: Jan Vorogovský and Astanov both scored before the break, with Matúš Bero pulling one back for Slovakia - his first international goal. Those six points helped Kazakhstan win the group and earn promotion to League B. For Slovakia captain Milan Škriniar, the memories of those matches are particularly painful: he picked up a hamstring injury in one of them. Vorogovský and Nuraly Alip are still in the Kazakhstan starting XI, while Astanov came on as a substitute in Tórshavn.
Head-to-head statistics Slovakia - Kazakhstan
Slovakia Team Overview
After the opening round, Slovakia top Group C3 with three points. Only the group winners earn automatic promotion to League B, while second place leads to the March play-offs. Slovakia know the cost of getting it wrong: in the spring, they lost to Kosovo in the World Cup 2026 qualifying play-off semi-finals, conceding three goals after the break. Talks with Francesco Calzona over a new contract subsequently fell through, and in May Vladimír Weiss took charge. He had previously managed the national side from 2008 to 2012 and remains the only coach to have taken Slovakia to a World Cup. Weiss set out his expectations plainly: failing to win this group would be a disgrace - for him and for the players.
On Saturday in Prešov, Weiss's side beat Moldova 2-0, though the match started nervously. The manager himself admitted that the opening spell was poor, with a lot of turnovers, and it was the visitors who created the first dangerous moment. The outcome was settled in the eight minutes before half-time, during which Slovakia scored twice. The second goal came from the penalty spot, with Ondrej Duda converting after a foul on Lukáš Haraslín. After the break, the hosts controlled the game but could not add a third, despite having enough chances. Weiss noted after the match that the team are capable of more and need to be sharper in attack going forward.
Match Results: Slovakia
Kazakhstan Team Overview
Kazakhstan began their Nations League campaign under a new manager. Talgar Baissufinov resigned in June, and over the summer the squad was taken over by John van 't Schip. The Dutchman won the European Championship in 1988 as a player and has previously managed Greece and Armenia. By his own account, he had very little time to prepare, and his debut in Tórshavn brought one point. Kazakhstan are level with the Faroe Islands in second place in the group, though they are under no pressure from the table. Following UEFA's reform, there will be no bottom division in the Nations League, so relegation is not a threat for them in this edition.
The match itself on the artificial pitch at Tórsvøllur was a difficult one for the visitors. The Faroe Islands opened the scoring in the first half when Aki Samuelsen turned in a cross from the left flank. The equaliser came from a set piece - Temirlan Yerlanov headed in a corner taken by captain Baurzhan Islamkhan. After that, the ball was with the visitors more often, but their advantage came to nothing. Kazakhstan barely threatened after the break, and goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov did much to preserve the draw. Immediately after the final whistle, the squad flew by charter directly to Košice, landing in the early hours of the morning, while Slovakia's first two matches have both been at home.
Match Results: Kazakhstan
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Slovakia
❓ Weiss's biggest loss is Matúš Bero. The Ferencváros midfielder came to the training camp in Poprad, but a medical examination revealed a stress fracture in his foot and he had to leave the squad. The coach decided against calling up a replacement, as the extended squad for the four-match window originally included 30 players. After the Moldova match, Hugo Pavek and Mario Sauer are expected to rejoin the squad, having been released to the under-21 side for their game against Ireland. Captain Milan Škriniar returned after missing two camps through injury and played the full match against Moldova. There are question marks over the form of the forwards: David Strelec has had very little playing time at Middlesbrough this season, while Robert Boženík has mainly been coming off the bench at Stoke. After the Moldova game, Weiss warned that there would be changes to the squad, though not many, with Slovakia facing four matches in 11 days.
Kazakhstan
❓ Van 't Schip is having to rebuild his attack from scratch. Dastan Satpayev has not been included in the squad: the forward is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained against Burnley. Islam Chesnokov had already missed the first two rounds through suspension following a red card, and has now picked up an injury that rules him out for the entire window. Maxim Samorodov was injured on 17 September in a match for Akhmat and stayed in Astana, so he is not in Košice. In defence, Alibek Kassym is also absent: the federation has confirmed he will not be fit for the away matches against the Faroe Islands or Slovakia. On a more positive note, Ramazan Orazov, who recently returned from a serious injury, came on as a substitute in Tórshavn.
Predicted Lineups
📋 Predicted starting XI for Slovakia: Greif - Schranz, Skriniar, Obert, Hancko - Suslov, Lobotka, Duda - L. Sauer, Strelec, Haraslin.
📋 Predicted starting XI for Kazakhstan: Pokatilov - Mrynskiy, Yerlanov, Alip, Vorogovskiy - Kuat, Karaman, Islamkhan - Amir, Shushenachev, Kenzhebek.
⚽️ Goals Prediction
In the Nations League, Kazakhstan have failed to score in 7 of their last 8 matches. Slovakia at home tend to give opponents little chance: they have kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 7 official home matches. The backbone of that defence is Milan Škriniar from Fenerbahçe and Dávid Hancko from Atlético. In Košice, Kazakhstan will have to break down a compact positional defence, and van 't Schip's side showed repeated problems playing out from the back through short passes in Tórshavn. The pick: Kazakhstan to Score - No.
🚩 Corners Prediction
There have been at least nine corners in each of Kazakhstan's last eight matches in a row. Most of them have been taken by the opposition: across Kazakhstan's last ten official matches, 107 corners were recorded in total, 60 of which went to their opponents. Slovakia are more active from corners: over the same period, their matches produced 95 corners, with 51 of those won by Slovakia themselves. In Košice, the hosts will have more of the ball and will get into the opposition box more often, so they will be the primary source of corners. The pick: Total Corners - Over 8.5.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
In Slovakia's last ten official matches, referees showed 39 yellow cards, 26 of which went to their opponents. Slovakia themselves received only 13, meaning teams foul them far more readily. Kazakhstan are the opposite: of the 31 bookings in their matches over the same period, 23 were given to Kazakhstan's own players. Against a ball-playing Slovakia side, the visitors will have to do a lot of running without the ball and stop attacks with fouls. Even in Saturday's calm meeting with Moldova, the referee reached for a yellow card three times. The pick: Total Yellow Cards - Over 2.5.
🚀 Player Statistic Bet
Tomáš Suslov was Slovakia's most active attacking player on Saturday. It was from his corner that Ivan Schranz, playing right back for the national team for the first time, opened the scoring against Moldova. After the break, Suslov hit the post, and in added time he had another effort from outside the box. Against Kazakhstan he should have no fewer opportunities: away from home, Kazakhstan have conceded in 11 of their last 12 matches. The pick: Suslov to Score or Assist.
😱 Risky Bet
Kazakhstan can hold their own against favourites - in November they drew with Belgium. Slovakia under Weiss have not looked particularly solid either: in June in Košice they drew with Montenegro. The risk is a fair one: Kazakhstan have not won in 9 of their last 10 away matches, and they are currently short of options up front. But if you are looking for a long-odds bet, this is the place to find one. The pick: Kazakhstan Not to Lose at 3.33*.
🎯 Reliable Bet
At home, Slovakia have lost just once in their last 11 matches. Kazakhstan have gone eight matches in a row without a win in the Nations League. The hosts do not need a big win for this bet to land - a narrow margin is enough. The odds are modest, but both runs are long. The pick: Slovakia to Win at 1.28*.
👀 If the Match Goes Off Script
Our scenario is Slovakia controlling the ball, scoring twice and keeping a clean sheet. It falls apart in one situation: if Kazakhstan score first, from a set piece for example. The hosts would then have to open up, and Weiss himself has warned that Kazakhstan have quick players and that counter-attacks need to be watched. The game would turn into an end-to-end affair, and the markets would shift towards Both Teams to Score and Total Goals Over 2.5. Keep those in mind for in-play if the visitors go ahead in the first half.
*Odds are indicative and may vary across different bookmakers
📌 Editorial Prediction
Vladimir Vajss's Slovakia keep things tight in the Nations League. They have scored more than two goals in just one of their last 16 matches in the competition. Saturday confirmed as much: against Moldova, the Slovaks stopped at two, despite having enough chances for a much bigger scoreline. Kazakhstan's Nations League matches have also been low-scoring affairs: in 14 of their last 16, the combined total has been fewer than four goals. Without Satpayev, Samorodov and Chesnokov, the visitors in Košice are left to defend and look to set pieces. We expect a home win, but not a high-scoring one. The bet is Total Goals - Under 2.5. Predicted score - 2:0.
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Betting Tips: Slovakia - Kazakhstan
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