Wales v Kazakhstan: Back Brennan Johnson to be fouled twice at 11/4 | OneFootball

World Cup 2026

Craig Bellamy has yet to taste defeat as Wales boss

Wales start their qualification campaign for the World Cup with plenty of hope and Lewis Jones is heading to the props market for their opener against lowly Kazakhstan where he's dug out an 11/4 shot to back...

Wales v KazakhstanSaturday 22 March, 19:45Live on S4C

Bellamy-ball gives Wales huge hope of qualification

Hope is high within Welsh circles of a fruitful World Cup qualification campaign.

Craig Bellamy has added some intensity and more focus on keeping possession to what was already a very secure defensive unit built by former boss Rob Page. The former Burnley assistant boss has overseen a six-game unbeaten run since taking the job, securing promotion through the Nations League with some impressive results against Iceland and Turkey.

This should be a comfortable evening to get Wales on their way in the group. Bellamy's boys sit 81 places above their opponents in the world rankings and Kazakhstan failed to score a single goal in their Nations League campaign where they were relegated to League C. In qualification for major tournaments, their record is woeful too. They haven't won a match in 21 attempts since beating Faroe Islands.

Wales are understandably 1/8 for victory with the Betfair Sportsbook.

Head to fouls market for best bet

In a match of such limited betting opportunities in the outright, heading to the props markets makes perfect sense.

My eyes have been drawn to the fouls lines where Wales are becoming a very interesting team in that regard under the new manager.

Bellamy likes his team to take the ball and play at every opportunity with an emphasis of being positive in possession.

This is leading to a huge upsurge in the amount of fouls being won by Wales as seen through the last six games, where their per 90 average is at 16.2 fouls won.

That's a huge figure.

Yes, it's going to be an unsustainable one in the long-term but it should act as a confidence booster for punters wanting to play in this type of market. As with all bets of this nature, the player match-up is key to unearthing some potential value in the market and we have one here down the Wales right where Brennan Johnson is likely to face Yan Vorogovskiy, who plays domestically for Astana.

Johnson, very direct and full of pace and power, has played three 90 minutes for Bellamy and has drawn seven fouls in those games with Iceland and Turkey. Those numbers suggest that his to be fouled prices offer a great avenue of value for punters with 4/6 on offer for him to be fouled at least once and 11/4 on him being fouled at least twice.

Wales will be dominating possession and territory with Johnson likely to be a key man for them on that right flank, meaning those taking these prices will be getting a great run for the money as he's going to be involved heavily in the game.

His opposite number Vorogovskiy has made 1.45 fouls per 90 across his last 17 starts for his country, making at least one foul on 13 of those appearances. He will look to mark Johnson tightly in his usual aggressive style which should get the attention of the referee.

Back Brennan Johnson to be fouled at least twice @ 11/4

Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.