Azerbaijan vs Belgium prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-08 13:00.
Azerbaijan began the September international window as one of six nations to have conceded at least ten goals in the qualification phase for the 2024 European Championships. With nine of them coming during trips to Austria (4-1) and Sweden (5-0) in March, they now only retain a remote chance of reaching their first Euro finals as an independent nation-state.
Whilst head coach Gianni De Biasi could always dream about replicating his efforts of guiding Albania to their first Euro finals (2016), matching Azerbaijan’s best effort of seven points from ten games when attempting to qualify for Euro 2012 should be the benchmark for the rest of this cycle. Adding to their current haul of one point from three qualifiers against Belgium appears immensely difficult by De Biasi’s own standards, after he identified Belgium as the standout favourites of Group F in a media interview last year.
Indeed, the former world number ones (now ranked fifth) remain warm favourites to win Group F and secure a third consecutive Euro finals appearance. That’s despite being second in the group – albeit with a game in hand – after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to group leaders Austria in June. That was sandwiched in between 3-0 away wins in Estonia and Sweden, and those results should set them up for a dominant win here which would be a welcome change from their last European qualifying trips to Baku in 2012 and 2008 which both proved far from comfortable (D 1-1 and W 1-0).
It appears that manager Domenico Tedesco will be demanding ruthlessness after not being completely satisfied with March’s 3-0 win in Sweden on his debut as Belgium’s head coach. Tedesco had tongues wagging ahead of that one when selecting 100+ game veteran Romelu Lukaku despite his lack of club football, that was a call-up that he confidently asserted was “not a question” and one that’s proven correct based on his international form since.
Players to watch: Azerbaijan’s Mahir Emreli will hope to hit the ground running after scoring Dinamo Zagreb’s first goal in an exciting come-from-behind league win last weekend, whilst there was little wonder Lukaku got the nod from Tedesco when considering he has scored seven of Belgium’s ten goals in 2023.
Hot stat: Belgium scored 3+ goals in eight of their last 12 wins against all opposition.