Kazakhstan v Wales: Attack-minded Welsh to play out a thriller | OneFootball

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Can Wales take another step towards World Cup qualification?

Wales hope to move closer to a place at next summer's World Cup finals, and Kevin Hatchard is expecting goals in Astana.

Kazakhstan v WalesLive on BBC One

With the domestic football season only just underway across Europe, it seems odd that there's a swift international break, but it's one that sees nations fight for one of the biggest golden tickets in sport, a place at the World Cup finals. I grant you, Gianni Infantino's and FIFA's controversial expansion of the tournament perhaps makes those golden tickets less rare than before, but it's still an event everyone wants to be at.

Wales have made a strong start to their bid for a place at the 2026 jamboree, claiming seven points from their four matches. They beat Kazakhstan 3-1, snatched a last-gasp leveller in a draw at North Macedonia, swept aside Liechtenstein 3-0 and then lost a bonkers game (technical term) 4-3 in Belgium.

Relatively new coach Craig Bellamy is saying all the right things, and the fact Wales have already scored ten goals in four qualifiers underlines his willingness to play on the front foot. Bellamy admits a 3,000km trip to Astana isn't ideal, and he's been critical of the artificial pitch his team will have to play on.

Wales are without Leeds duo Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu, while veteran Aaron Ramsey has been left out because of a lack of match fitness. Wrexham's Danny Ward and Nathan Broadhead are also missing.

Kazakhstan have lost 13 of their last 16 internationals, although they did beat Liechtenstein 2-0 to record a rare victory. They haven't won a home game for 12 years.

I'm going to lean towards goals here, and the way to do that is to back Over 2.5 Goals on the Betfair Exchange at 2.26. The reverse fixture featured four goals, and six of Bellamy's ten matches in charge have feature three goals or more, including three of their four World Cup qualifiers.