Kazakhstan v Wales live: Latest team news and line-ups ahead of World Cup qualifier

We’re underway in Astana!

Five minutes to kick-off here. Both sides will be emerging from the tunnel soon, and once we have the national anthems we’ll be underway shortly.

Speaking alongside Bellamy, Ben Davies said that “whoever we’re playing against, we have to come into the game looking to be at our best if we want to win”,.

“Kazakhstan showed in Cardiff that they are a difficult team to break down and we had to be patient. We expect another tough challenge tomorrow,” he explained.

“Joe [Rodon] is a big loss for us. He’s definitely a key figure in the team and has been for the last few years. But we’re confident as a team that whoever comes in has that quality.”

“There are boys who have been waiting patiently for their chance and really deserve it. They’ve shown when they’ve had those opportunities why they deserve to be playing, so we’re lucky in that sense that we have some strength in depth,” he added as he finished.

Speaking ahead of the match, Craig Bellamy said that injuries weren’t an issue.

“I never talk about injuries because the simple fact is that it’s reality of the game we’re in. It won’t have an effect on us, we’ll be strong.”

On preparations, he added: “The FAW have done well, really made it comfortable for us.

“Time difference, we adjust. We’ve been working for this for a number of months, we knew this game was coming and you just have to adapt,” he added.

With 30 minutes until kick-off, here’s a reminder of how you can watch today’s game.

The World Cup qualifier between Kazakhstan and Wales kicks off at 3pm BST (7pm local time) on Thursday 4 September at the Astana Arena in Astana.

Fans in the UK can watch the game live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with coverage starting at 2:45pm BST.

Craig Bellamy says Wales can cope with a raft of absentees for their World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan after key defender Joe Rodon joined the list of withdrawals.

Leeds centre-back Rodon played the full 90 minutes of the 0-0 Premier League draw against Newcastle on Saturday but did not make the 3,000-mile trip to Astana due to concussion protocols.

Injured pair Ethan Ampadu and Connor Roberts were not included when Bellamy named his squad last week, and skipper Aaron Ramsey was left out to build up fitness at his Mexican club Pumas UNAM after a five-month lay-off following hamstring surgery.

Wales have prepared for their marathon World Cup qualifying trip to Kazakhstan by involving Craig Bellamy’s squad in “challenging” logistical planning for the first time.

Making the 6,000-mile round journey to and from Kazakhstan – the world’s largest landlocked country which borders Russia to the north and China to the east – presents a demanding test for the Football Association of Wales on several different levels.

Finding a suitable aircraft to get to Central Asia and back by avoiding Russian air space, the four-hour time difference, and potential hot weather are among the issues facing Wales in Astana on September 4.

Wales XI: Darlow, Lawlor, Davies, Mepham, Thomas, Cullen, Sheehan, Wilson, Williams, B. Johnson, Moore

We’re expecting line-ups to be announced soon, so here’s a reminder of the early team news…

Wales captain Ramsey has been left out of the squad by Bellamy, having only played his first minutes for new side Pumas Unam last week – his first appearance in nearly six months. Ethan Ampadu is also absent with a knee injury, while Dylan Lawlor, Ronan Kpakio and Kai Andrews could all make their first Wales caps.