Bet of the day: Kazakhstan vs Norway

Ståle Solbakken’s team kicks off the Nations League this afternoon.

With the 2024/25 season just barely underway, space is already being cleared in the football calendar for an international break. Norway will take to the field at 4 PM this afternoon for the first match of the Nations League this autumn, as the national team visits Kazakhstan in Almaty.

Weak friendlies

For Norway, the buildup to this afternoon’s battle at Ortalyq Stadium has been focused on almost everything but football. Jørgen Juve (passed away in 1983) was selected for a doping test. Ståle Solbakken has announced his resignation as national team coach in 2026, and Norway’s beloved Martin Ødegaard is going to become a father. But what about the football?

Norway has not played a competitive match since the 3-3 draw at Hampden Park in November, a game that didn’t mean much, as Norway was already out of the race for a European Championship spot. Since then, there have been four friendly matches against the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Kosovo, and Denmark. They only managed to beat Kosovo. Solbakken has had to make several changes to the squad for this gathering. Sindre Walle Egeli, Jostein Gundersen, and Sondre Langås have all been called up after the original squad selection, and the national team suffered another setback when Osame Sahraoui chose to represent Morocco

New coach

Kazakhstan enters this afternoon’s international match on the back of four straight losses but certainly did not disappoint in the European Championship qualifiers. Ten matches resulted in six wins and four losses, earning as many points as the much more renowned Poland. In the end, they were only four points behind Slovenia and a ticket to the European Championship. For this afternoon’s clash, Kazakhstan will have a new coach, Stanislav Cherchesov, a seasoned Russian veteran who has coached the Russian national team in two periods and even the Soviet Union as far back as 1992

Betting Tips

• Norway to lead at half time and win at full time (1,78) at Betway
• Both Teams to Score (BTTS) (2,10) at Betway

Prediction

• 1-3 (11,00) at William Hill

Norway is capable of conceding goals against almost any national team in the world and has had significant problems defending under Ståle Solbakken. We believe Norway will eventually win comfortably by a couple of goals, but Kazakhstan is a strong home team and capable of scoring against the Norwegian national team. A 3-1 win for Norway doesn’t seem entirely unlikely here.