Austria vs Kazakhstan Prediction: Both teams to fly out the traps in Linz

After an encouraging start to the calendar year, winning four of their five friendlies which included victories over Poland and the Netherlands in the group stage of Euro 2024, Austria have disappointed in the Uefa Nations League so far, drawing 1-1 with Slovenia and losing 2-1 to Norway last month.

Ralf Rangnick's side should be buoyed by the visit of Kazakhstan to the Raiffeisen Arena on Thursday (19:45), however, as the Qarsygalar have lost four of their last five games, including a 3-0 defeat to Slovenia in their second Nations League match last time out. Read below for my Austria vs Kazakhstan prediction, complete with all the latest team news, ahead of this Group B3 encounter in Linz.

Team News

Real Madrid defender and captain of the Austria national team, David Alaba, who missed Euro 2024 through injury, remains sidelined for the hosts. Rangnick will also be without Kevin Danso (RC Lens) and Maximilian Wober (Leeds United), so the former Manchester United head coach has turned to Venezia centre-back Michael Svoboda and Werder Bremen's Marco Friedl.

Blackburn Rovers forward Andi Weimann has been recalled after an impressive start to the EFL Championship season with the Lancashire club, and he will assist the likes of Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan) and Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig) in the forward department.

Other stellar names in the setup include Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich) and Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund).

Football Odds

Kazakhstan will be relying heavily on the likes of star striker Abat Aymbetov (Adana Demirspor), captain Ashkat Tagybergen (Ordabasy) and winger Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov (Besiktas), while goalkeeper Igor Shatskiy (Aktobe) is sure to be called into action on several occasions.

Austria vs Kazakhstan Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Austria vs Kazakhstan page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

These sides last met in October 2012 when Austria ran out 4-0 winners, and it's Das Team who are heavily fancied to triumph on Thursday, with odds of 1/7 giving the hosts an implied win probability of 87.5%. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, are 18/1 (5.3%) to beat their opponents at the fifth attempt, with a third draw between the countries priced at 7/1.

Both teams to score is 11/8 and over 2.5 total goals is 4/9.

Austria dominate the anytime goalscorer market with 12 of their players listed before the first Kazakhstani, Aymbetov (9/2). Arnautovic (4/5) is considered the game's most likely goalscorer, followed by Michael Gregoritsch (19/20) and Junior Adamu (1/1).

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Austria & Yes @ 2/1

It's two defeats in their last three now for Austria, whose three-game winless run began with a Euro 2024 last-16 exit to Turkey in July. In fairness to Das Team, though, they have faced some tricky opponents; Turkey were only narrowly beaten in the quarter-finals at the Euros, Slovenia didn't lose a game in 90 minutes at the summer tournament in Germany, and Norway fielded a side containing the dazzling talents of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.

There's much less firepower in the Kazakhstani ranks, something that was evident in their failures to score past either Norway or Slovenia last month, though they did hold the former to a goalless draw in Almaty. Their only other competitive fixture this year saw them thrashed 5-0 by Greece in Athens in March as they saw their hopes of qualifying for the Euros crushed.

Those three defeats highlight an apparent weakness at the top end of the pitch, but they have scored in all four friendlies they have played in 2024 - three of them defeats - and they found the net in nine of their 10 Euro 2024 qualifiers last year, only being shut out at home by Finland (0-1). Impressively, they beat Denmark 3-2 in Astana and scored once in the return fixture in Copenhagen, losing 3-1, and also struck away to Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Finland and San Marino.

Clearly, there are goals in this Kazakhstan team, and they should be encouraged by Austria's recent defensive record. Rangnick's side have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine matches, conceding 12 goals, and although Thursday's visitors to Linz represent a downgrade in quality compared to the likes of France, the Netherlands and Turkey, a shutout is no foregone conclusion, and I believe that Kazakhstan can get on the scoresheet at the Raiffeisen Arena.

Nevertheless, I expect Austria to collect all three points to kickstart their Nations League campaign - their last four wins have seen both teams score, while Kazakhstan have found the net in five of their previous seven defeats.

Both Teams to Score in First Half - Yes @ 4/1

This selection landed in both of Austria's Nations League matches last month, as well as in their 3-1 victory over Poland in the group stage of Euro 2024 and their final three friendlies before the tournament in Germany (6-1 v Turkey, 2-1 v Serbia, 1-1 v Switzerland).

Both teams to score in the first half has also been a winner in two of Kazakhstan's four friendlies this year - a 2-1 defeat to Luxembourg in March and a 3-2 loss to Azerbaijan in June.

Kazakhstan have conceded in the first half in eight of their last 11 games, and it's eight in the previous nine for Austria, who have switched off numerous times in the first 45 minutes of a match.

At 4/1, I like the odds of both teams being caught out before half-time on Thursday.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.