The top two in Group H clash on Thursday afternoon and we’ve previewed the battle between Kazakhstan and Finland for your attention. 

Group H is turning into a really competitive section, with Finland (11/10) and Kazakhstan (13/5) leading the way on 9 points, after four games played.

Denmark and Slovenia would have fancied their chances of progressing from this group but they are sat two points back and Northern Ireland will have to pull off a miracle to qualify from fifth spot.

The two sides are yet to face off and will line up against one another twice in the next six weeks, meaning these head-to-heads could become pivotal on who will qualify for Germany 2024.

The Kazakhs are on the verge of qualifying for their first ever European Championships and will be desperate to pick up at least a point at home.

Team news

Despite topping the group, Magomed Adiyev has called up five uncapped players for the next two qualifiers including youngsters Vyacheslav Shvyrev and Vladislav Prokopenko.

The Finland squad remains pretty much unchanged and includes Teemu Pukki, who has 112 caps for the Finnish.

Both Teams To Score – EVS

The two sides have scored a combined 18 goals in their eight games in the group thus far and both teams possess fire power in the form of Pukki, Daniel Hakans and Abat Aymbetov for the Kazak side.

Their defences have been tighter but thats generally because they haven’t been genuinely tested yet. When they faced the Danes, both of these outfits conceded at least twice, so their back lines are far from unbreachable.

With this in mind BTTS at evens looked like our best bet here.

Draw – 9/4

I’m going to double down slightly on my earlier justification and I expect with so much riding on this match, either manager would be happy with a point and honours even.

Take a loss here and their European Championship qualification chances could be in the dirt.

Alternatively, take a point apiece and then leave the top spot battle until later in the qualification period. Those second games against Denmark could be vital!