Faroe Islands vs Kazakhstan – News and Probable Lineups

In the opening match of their Nations League C campaign at Torsvollur, the in-form Faroe Islands will face off against Cazaquistão on Saturday.

Landslidid are aiming for their fourth win in five matches, while the Hawks are looking to secure their first victory in three attempts.

Match overview

Despite being rated 123rd in the FIFA rankings, Eydun Klakstein’s Faroe Islands will head into this match with optimism due to their impressive performance over the past year.

Since September 2025, Landslidid have won six out of their nine matches, suffering only three defeats and managing to keep four clean sheets during this time.

Although they did encounter stronger opponents like Croácia in that span, they demonstrated resilience against rivals of similar levels, including a 2-1 victory over República Tcheca in a World Cup qualifier in October 2025.

Adding to the Faroe Islands’ confidence for Saturday’s match is their previous 1-0 win against Cazaquistão in November of the prior year, alongside a strong home record with just one loss since 2023.

On the other hand, Cazaquistão is embarking on a new chapter under head coach John van ‘t Schip, who took over in August.

The former Ajax and Genoa player most recently managed the Armênia national team from February to August 2025, leaving after just four matches, with three losses and a lone 2-2 draw against Montenegro.

Eager to leave that stint behind, Van ‘t Schip must guide the Hawks in bouncing back from their 3-1 loss to Hungria in June, which was their first defeat of 2026, following two victories and a 1-1 draw against Armênia.

Indeed, Cazaquistão have only faced two defeats in the last twelve months, clinching three wins and three draws from their eight matches, including a credible 1-1 draw with Bélgica in a World Cup qualifier last November.

Nonetheless, the visitors have struggled on the road, with their away form being disappointing; they have secured just one win – 2-0 against Liechtenstein in March 2025 – from their 16 away fixtures since October 2023.

Team News

The Faroe Islands will be looking to their attacking trio of Aki Samuelsen, Joannes Bjartalid, and Hanus Sorensen – the latter having scored four of his five international goals on home soil – to secure another victory this Saturday.

This trio is expected to receive support in midfield from Emil Joensen and Geza David Turi, while wing-backs Mattias Hellisdal and Viljormur Davidsen are set to contribute from the flanks.

For Cazaquistão, the 18-year-old Burnley striker Dastan Satpaev remains sidelined due to a hamstring injury, but Maksim Samorodov will be available to spearhead the attack this weekend.

Ramazan Karimov and Artur Shushenachev are likely to feature on the wings, supported by a midfield trio of Ramazan Orazov, Bauyrzhan Islamkhan, and Galymzhan Kenzhebek.

Faroe Islands probable starting XI:

Lamb heap; Faero, Vatnhamar, Edmundsson; Hellisdal, Joensen, Turi, Davidsen; Samuelsen, Bjartalid, Sorensen

Kazakhstan probable starting XI:

Anarbekov; Mrynskiy, Kasabulat, Alip, Vorogoxiy; Orazov, Islamkhan, Kenzhebek; Karimov, Samorodov, Shushenachev

Faroe Islands will feel confident heading into this encounter after winning three of their last four fixtures, while maintaining two clean sheets during that stretch.

Cazaquistão, now under new management, will be keen to compete, having lost only twice in the preceding twelve months.