Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Bosnia & Herzegovina will be looking to record their first win of their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign when they take on Kazakhstan at Bilino Polje on Tuesday evening. The Balkan Dragons did well to hold star-studded France to a draw in their last group game, and, as a result, the bookies see them as hot favourites to pick up all three points from the midweek clash. Head coach Ivaylo Petev rested first-team regulars in a friendly against Kuwait (1-0), but he is likely to field the best possible side against Kazakhstan.
As always, a man to watch in the home team will be experienced attacker Edin Dzeko, who found the net in the draw with France. The Kazaks, on the other hand, are stuck at the bottom of Group D, with the team collecting only two points in total from possible 12. Considering that Kazakhstan are not regarded as good travelers, we are tempted to put our money on the home team.
Highlighted Player (Rade Krunic):
Rade Krunic is a product of Sutjeska Foca youth football school. The Bosnia international was born in Foca on October 7, 1993 and 19 years later he made his senior debut with his hometown club Sutjeska.
After scoring three goals in 15 appearances for the Bosnian club, the Bosnian midfielder moved to Serbian side Donji Srem in 2013. In 2014 he signed a contract with Italian side Hellas Verona, but he was immediately loaned back to Donji Srem. In 2015 Rade Krunic made 13 appearances for Serbian side Borac Cacak before joining yet another Italian team Empoli.
He has been playing for the Azzurri ever since and it has to be noted that he scored his first goal for the Serie A side in a 2-0 win over Genoa in October, 2015. Speaking of his international career, Krunic made his Bosnia and Herzegovina debut in a friendly against Denmark on June 3, 2016. He has 8 caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 team as well.
Highlighted Team (Kazakhstan):
Kazakhstan national team played their first international match on June 1, 1992 against Turkmenistan, with the team beating the Emeralds 1-0. The former Soviet republic have been competing on the international stage since 1991, when the country declared independence.
Kazakhstan have yet to book their place at major tournaments, but they have not been serving as a cannon fodder for top European national teams. The Kazakhs were part of Asian Football Confederation before joining UEFA in 2002. However, they could not enter UEFA Euro 2004 qualification as the draw had been made earlier. Kazakhstan national football team recorded their biggest win over Pakistan in June, 1997 and they suffered their biggest defeat in 2005, with the team losing to Turkey 6-0.
Kazakhstan wear sky-blue shirts and sky-blue shorts when playing at home, while their away colour is yellow. Astana Arena is considered Kazakhstan national football team’s home ground and the capacity of the stadium is 30.244. The venue was opened in July, 2009.