Belarus and Kazakhstan will face off in an international friendly on Thursday evening as part of their preparations for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The hosts have two friendlies this month before starting their qualifying campaign in September, while the visitors have already kick-started their qualifiers with one win and one defeat.
Match preview
© Imago
Belarus are finalising their preparations for a qualifying campaign where they will be aiming to secure their first-ever participation at a World Cup, having failed to qualify since their separation from the Soviet Union.
The White Wings came closest in 2002, when they finished just two points behind second-placed Ukraine in the playoff position, but they have finished fifth, fourth, fifth, sixth and fifth in the following qualification groups.
Carlos Alos will be hoping to be the man to lead Belarus to their debut appearance at the World Cup finals, and positive results in their last friendlies ahead of their opening qualifying clash with Greece in September could be crucial.
Belarus first face Kazakhstan before matching up with Russia next week, and given the White Wings have lost just once in their last eight outings - alongside four draws and three wins - they have every reason to be confident of securing a win on Thursday.
While Belarus face two final friendlies before starting their qualifying campaign, Kazakhstan have already started their group stage matches, with one win and one defeat.
The Hawks have similarly never managed to qualify for the World Cup since the separation of the Soviet Union, but a promising start in Group J has them sat third and just a point behind second-placed Wales.
Kazakhstan lost 3-1 to Wales in their opening match, followed by a 2-0 victory against Liechtenstein, and they will be aiming to maintain that positive momentum ahead of their next clash with North Macedonia.
Kazakhstan have faced difficulty when facing Belarus, as Thursday's hosts have claimed four victories and two draws in their last seven meetings, though the Hawks did win 2-1 in their latest encounter.
Team News
Belarus have won each of their last two matches, defeating Tajikistan 5-0 and Azerbaijan 2-0, meaning Alos may decide to name a largely unchanged starting team here.
Eighteen-year-old striker Trofim Melnichenko has scored one goal in three senior appearances for Belarus, and the young forward may lead the line in this one.
Elsewhere, Max Ebong and Valeri Bocherov are likely to continue their partnership in the middle of the pitch, with Sergei Karpovich and Dmitriy Prishchepa in wide positions.
As for Kazakhstan, a defensive lineup of Sultanbek Astanov, Marat Bystrov, Aleksandr Marochkin, Nuraly Alip and Yan Vorogovskiy could keep their place after an impressive performance against Liechtenstein in their last match.
Maksim Samorodov also produced a particularly positive performance in that 2-0 victory, and the forward could partner Dastan Satpayev and Islam Chesnokov in attack.
Belarus possible starting lineup:
Lapoukhov; Martynovich, Politevich, Zabelin; Karpovich, Bocherov, Ebong, Pryshchepa; Gromyko, Lisakovich, Melnichenko
Kazakhstan possible starting lineup:
Seisen; Astanov, Bystrov, Marochkin, Alip, Vorogovskiy; Chesnokov, Orazov, Zhukov, Samorodov; Satpayev
We say: Belarus 2-1 Kazakhstan
Belarus have lost just once in their last eight matches, and given Kazakhstan's record of four defeats in the last seven meetings with Thursday's hosts, we believe the home side will extend their strong run with a win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
