Azerbaijan vs Belgium Match Analysis & Prediction
09/09/2023 4:00 pm
Seeking to cement their spot in Group F’s top two, Belgium will make the trip to Azerbaijan for Saturday’s European Championship qualifier.
Sitting between Austria and Sweden in the early standings, the Red Devils are expected to leave Baku with a win, while their hosts sit bottom of the section on just one point.
Having succeeded Roberto Martinez in the aftermath of a failed mission to Qatar, new head coach Domenico Tedesco began his tenure in the spring, when Romelu Lukaku’s hat-trick helped Belgium beat Sweden in their opening qualifier and the Red Devils claimed a 3-2 friendly victory over Germany.
Belgium then reconvened a few months later, finishing off the 2022-23 season with a 1-1 home draw against Austria and a 3-0 victory over Estonia.
As a result, Belgium sit second in the Group F table -already four points clear of third-placed Sweden – are on course to secure their place in Germany for next summer.
The Red Devils will now aim to take maximum points from this month’s international window, with matches against Azerbaijan and Estonia offering a chance to extend their unbeaten run to seven.
Last time out, Azerbaijan picked up their first point of the qualifying campaign by holding Estonia to a 1-1 draw at Dalga Arena.
With Austria, Belgium and Sweden leading the way, the pair will most likely battle it out to avoid finishing bottom of the group, so failing to capitalise on home advantage may still rankle with manager Gianni De Biasi.
A 13-game winless run seriously threatened De Biasi’s position, before three straight UEFA Nations League victories over Belarus, Slovakia and Kazakhstan steadied the ship last summer.
However, Azerbaijan then made a sluggish start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, suffering back-to-back defeats to Austria and Sweden while conceding nine goals in the process.
Anton Kryvotsyuk’s equaliser to salvage a point against Estonia at least stopped the rot, but any notions of reaching a first major finals are already a distant dream.
Azerbaijan vs. Belgium Head to head
In the four previous meetings between these two teams, Belgium have claimed three victories while they have drawn once.
-
11/10/2006Belgium3Azerbaijan0Euros Qualifiers
-
21/11/2007Azerbaijan0Belgium1Euros Qualifiers
-
29/03/2011Belgium4Azerbaijan1Euros Qualifiers
-
02/09/2011Azerbaijan1Belgium1Euros Qualifiers
-
09/09/2023AzerbaijanN/ABelgiumN/AEuros Qualifiers
Azerbaijan Team News
After scoring in June’s draw with Estonia, Kryvotsyuk could partner Bahlul Mustafazada at centre-back, while Dadashov leads the line up front.
The latter has yet to score a European Championship qualifying goal in his career, but fellow forwards Ramil Sheydayev and Dinamo Zagreb’s Mahir Emreli have two apiece.
Azerbaijan's Last 5 Matches
-
16/11/2022Moldova1Azerbaijan2Friendlies
-
20/11/2022North Macedonia1Azerbaijan3Friendlies
-
24/03/2023Austria4Azerbaijan1Euros Qualifiers
-
27/03/2023Sweden5Azerbaijan0Euros Qualifiers
-
17/06/2023Azerbaijan1Estonia1Euros Qualifiers
Belgium Team News
Tedesco has named one newcomer this month, with Hugo Siquet of Cercle Brugge being handed a promotion from the U21.
Belgium will be without first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfield maestro Kevin De Bryune due to injury.
Belgium's Last 5 Matches
-
01/12/2022Croatia0Belgium0FIFA World Cup
-
24/03/2023Sweden0Belgium3Euros Qualifiers
-
28/03/2023Germany2Belgium3Friendlies
-
17/06/2023Belgium1Austria1Euros Qualifiers
-
20/06/2023Estonia0Belgium3Euros Qualifiers
Azerbaijan vs. Belgium: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
1X2: 2
Best Odds
1000% Super Multi Bonus
Up to 10 times (1000%) larger winnings on bets placed during Happy Hour
CLAIM BONUS
