Greece - Kazakhstan predictions and free betting tips [21/03/2024]

Today Greece will face Kazakhstan's national team in the semi-finals of the Euro-2024 qualifiers. The victor of this match will proceed to battle with either Georgia or Luxembourg in the finals the following week, vying for a place in Quartet F already occupied by Portugal, Turkey, and Czech Republic.

Greece

The 2004 European champions haven't been spoiling their fans with successful performances on the pitch in recent years. The hosts unsurprisingly clinched the 3rd place after France and the Netherlands in the qualifying group, surpassing Ireland and Gibraltar with 13 points out of a possible 24. After a defeat by the "Tulips" in October, the Greeks beat New Zealand in a friendly match, and in November, they drew with the French national team (2:2) - with Bakasetas and Ioannidis scoring goals. However, their successful performance in the Nations League secured them the right to try their luck in the qualification playoffs. Securing five victories in six rounds, the White-Blues ensured an upgrade to League B, where they await Ireland, Finland, and England in the 2024-25 campaign. 

The home achievements of Gustavo Poyet's squad never fail to impress: The hosts suffered defeat only twice in their last 21 clashes before their fans. No wonder the Greek team includes goalkeeper Vlachodimos (Nottingham Forest), experienced defenders Tzavellas (Atromitos), Tsimikas (Liverpool), Chatzidiakos (Cagliari), and Mavropanos (West Ham), midfielders Bakasetas (Panathinaikos, 13 goals), Mantalos (AEK Athens, 6 goals), and Bouchalakis (Hertha Berlin), and the young promising Kostantelias (PAOK). The strikers Masouras (Olympiakos, 9 goals) and Pavlidis (AZ, 6 goals) are the two best attacking assets of the team. There are also forwards Fountas (Trabzonspor) and Limnios (Panathinaikos, 3 goals) who didn't make the coaches' cut for the March gathering.

Kazakhstan

The Kazakhstan national team, on the other hand, has never participated in any international competition since attaining independence in 1991. However, much like Greece, the Yellow-Blues have made some progress in recent months. Although they only took the 4th place in their qualifying group, falling behind Denmark, Slovenia, and Finland, and surpassing Northern Ireland and San Marino, the "Snow Leopards" managed to earn 18 points out of a potential 30. After victories over Finland (1:2) and San Marino (3:1), they suffered defeat from Slovenia with a score of 2:1. Kazakhstan prepared for the playoffs by beating Turkmenistan in a friendly match (2:0) last week. Worth noting is Magomed Adiev's squad's solid performance on the road: they secured three wins in their last five away matches. 

The Kazakhstan squad includes a lot of players unfamiliar to the wider audience, given that most of them play for local clubs such as "Astana", "Tobol", "Ordabasy", and "Aktobe". The exceptions are defenders Alip (30 matches, Zenit) and Zuev (Arsenal Tula), and forwards Aimbetov (Adana Demirspor, 35 matches, 9 goals) and Zainutdinov (Besiktas) who pose the greatest threat to the hosts, having scored 14 goals in 34 appearances. After scoring a brace in the duel against Finland (2:1) in October, Baha became Kazakhstan's all-time top scorer and is now ready for action after missing the November gathering due to a broken nose. The midfielders Darabaev (21 matches) and Islambek (50 matches, 3 goals) are both injured and unavailable.

Head-to-head 

These teams encountered each other in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, and then the Greeks triumphed in both matches (1:2 and 3:1).

Prediction for the Greece – Kazakhstan match

In November, Greece managed to hold a draw against the formidable France, and now the "White-Blues" will try to take out Kazakhstan, the biggest surprise of the last qualifiers, at home with minimal casualties. It feels like the guests have already outdone themselves, especially considering that the Greeks rarely stumble in Athens in recent years. The hosts surpass the opponents in both class and experience, hence my bet is on the Southerners' win with a -1 handicap.

Total prediction

Tsimikas, Pavlidis, Masouras - these lads have the potential to break through the guests' defence, most of whom represent the local league, more than a couple of times. I'm betting on Greece's ITO higher than 2 goals.