By Jemma Tappenden
June 3 2009
England are back in action this weekend in an away fixture at Kazakhstan as they look to seal their place in the 2010 World Cup. England currently top Group 6 of the World Cup qualifiers, having won all five of the matches played so far. Kazakhstan sit second from bottom in the group having picked up just 3 points. Three Lions takes a look at the history of England's next opponents.
Having gained independence from the USSR, the Kazakhstan national football team played their first match on 1st June 1992 against Turkmenistan - also a former member of the USSR.
Until 2002 Kazakhstan was a member of the Asian Football Confederation, but 10 years after establishing themselves as an independent nation they switched the UEFA.
The Kazakhstan national football team still await their first qualification to both the World Cup and European Championships, and also failed to qualify for the Asian Nations Cup during their time as a member of the AFC.
Current coach, Bernd Storck from Germany inherited his position in 2008 as Kazakhstan look to qualify for the 2010 world cup, a task which looks increasingly unlikely with a current points total of just 3, that solitary win coming against Andorra who currently sit bottom of group 6 with no points.
England have already notched up a 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan at Wembley in October 2008.
Vital Stats:
Home Stadium: Almaty Central Stadium
Head Coach: Bernd Storck
Captain: Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev
Most capped player: Ruslan Baltiev (64)
Highest scorer: Viktor Zubarev (12)
FIFA Ranking: 137
Highest FIFA Ranking: 98 (Dec 2001)
Lowest FIFA Ranking: 166 (May 1996)
