Key events
Kazakhstan v Wales is go …
1 min: Kazakhstan get the ball rolling, their players wearing yellow shirts, shorts and socks with blue trim. Their visitors are in an all red kit.
Not long now: Both sets of players line up in the tunnel and are led out on to the pitch by Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez and his team of match officials. It’s coming up to 7pm local time in Astana and kick-off is just a few minutes away.
Craig Bellamy: “No matter what, it’s going to be a difficult game,” said the Wales manager ahead of today’s qualifier. “Playing [Kazakhstan] at home in Cardiff was a good challenge as well, how they set up, how they look to counter-attack. They spent a long time without the ball and that usually breaks teams earlier than it did. We call it heart. I admired it. For us, do we have the quality on the day? That’s the most important. Have we prepared well? Are we able to adapt? We’ll have to take the game to them.”
The Red Wall: Wales are expected to bring around a thousand supporters to Astana today but the odyssey undertaken by one bucket hat-wearing fan to get to his seat in the away end has really captured the public imagination.
John McAllister left his home in Barry over five weeks ago and on a largely overland journey of 5,000 kilometres involving 17 train journeys and 11 bus trips, has taken in 11 different football matches, an ice hockey game, some random Irish bloke’s stag do and a heavy metal festival en route while compiling a fascinating YouTube travel vlog.
The 26-year-old’s exploits have been brought to the attention of Craig Bellamy, who along with his players hopes to meet and greet the intrepid explorer if a get-together hasn’t already been arranged. “We’ve got to see him, because it means so much to us,” the Wales manager said.
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Alejandro Hernandez
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Referee’s assistants: Jose Naranjo and Diego Sanchez
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Fourth official: Joe Luis Nunuera
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Video assistant referee: Cesar Soto Grade
Wales team news: A tip of the garish bucket hat to Kieffer Moore and Chris Mepham, who both notch up their half-century of Wales caps today. Just beginning his international journey, Cardiff City’s 19-year-old defender Dylan Lawlor makes his first appearance for his country. Well done, Dylan. Moore, Lawlor, Neco William, Liam Cullen and Josh Sheehan come into a side that features five changes from the XI who lined up for Wales narrow defeat at the hands of Belgium last time out.
World Cup tickets: Should Wales or Kazakhstan qualify for next summer’s tournament being staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico, their fans can expect to pay top, top, top, top dollar for match tickets now that Fifa has decided to channel its inner Oasis and introduce a new dynamic pricing model. Leander Schaerlaeckens has the latest …
Kazakhstan v Wales line-ups
Kazakhstan: Anarbekov, Kasym, Maliy, Alip, Kairov, Orazov, Kasabulat, Vorogovskiy, Satpaev, Kenzhebek, Samorodov.
Subs: Shayzada, Seisen, Zhaksybaev, Muzhikov, Cheesnokov, Karaman, Zhagorov, Sviridov, Zhumat, Sultanbek Astanov, Omirtayev, Khalmatov.
Wales: Darlow, Mepham, Ben Davies, Lawlor, Thomas, Cullen, Sheehan, Wilson, Williams, Johnson, Moore.
Subs: Adam Davies, Cabango, Brooks, Koumas, Kpakio, Crew, Jordan James, Harris, Daniel James, King, Norrington-Davies, Colwill.
Early Kazakhstan team news
Since losing to Wales in Cardiff Kazakhstan have lost Askhat Tagybergen, their goalscorer and captain on the night, to international retirement. The veteran stood down following his side’s defeat at the hands of North Macedonia citing his wish to make way for new blood in the national side. Arguably Kazakhstan’s brightest prospect, the 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev made his senior international debut in that game against Wales and the Astana striker will join Chelsea once he turns 18.
His Kairat Almaty teammate, Alexander Zarutskyi, misses out through injury today after being forced off during the first leg of his team’s Champions League playoff first leg against Celtic and is likely to be replaced by Astana’s Mukhammedzhan Seysen.
Early Wales team news
Wales go into this game suffering from a litany of injuries, with the loss of Leeds duo Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon arguably the ones that will hurt the most. Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward and his teammate Nathan Broadhead have also been ruled out, while Jay Dasilva and Connor Roberts are also numbered among the Cymru lame and halt.
Currently playing his club football in Mexico with Pumas UNAM, Aaron Ramsey has been omitted from the squad due to lack of match fitness following his return to action from a hamstring injury. Bellamy insists the 34-year-old midfielder features in his future plans but the pair agreed Ramsey would miss this game and Wales’ friendly against Canada on Tuesday because he has only played once since March.
In the absence of so many experienced players, Cardiff City duo Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio have earned their first international call-ups, although there is no place in the squad for their fellow Bluebird, Ruben Colwill despite the 23-year-old midfielder’s impressive start to the season. Bellamy explained he was “very close” to being selected but added that he wants to “see more” from him. Colwill’s younger brother and Cardiff teammate, Joel, did make the cut and is included in a Wales squad for the first time.
Group J: Kazakhstan v Wales
A lengthy hop from Cardiff, the Astana Arena is the venue for today’s match between Kazakhstan and a Wales side who have never travelled further for a World Cup qualifier. While many Uefa groups are only getting started in the current international window, Group J is already well under way and Wales currently sit second behind leaders North Macedonia, who have one point more than Craig Bellamy’s side after four games each. Belgium currently occupy third spot but will overtake both the teams ahead of them if they win their two games in hand.
The upshot is that today’s match is veering perilously close to must-win territory for the Welsh and is unquestionably of the must-not-lose variety. Despite travelling around 3,500 kilometres to fulfill this fixture on an artificial pitch that isn’t entirely to their manager’s liking, the visitors will be hopeful of repeating their victory over the Kazakhs in Cardiff back in March. A more emphatic and less nervy win would be welcome. Kick off in the Kazakh capital is at 3pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
