Belgium vs Azerbaijan prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-11-18 17:00.
Belgium will complete their European Championship qualifying (ECQ) campaign having already booked their place in Germany next summer, but there’s pride at stake as one more win (W5, D2) will see them top Group F ahead of Austria. Wednesday’s friendly against Serbia, hastily moved from Brussels to Leuven due to flooding, saw them field an experimental side and win 1-0 thanks to Yannick Carasco netting after just 61 seconds.
That was due to be their first game in Brussels since last month’s 1-1 draw with Sweden which was abandoned at half-time after two visiting supporters were killed in a terrorist attack. Now unbeaten in six home games (W4, D2), the Red Devils return to the capital to put their undefeated record against Azerbaijan on the line (W4, D1), which includes two H2H wins in Belgium by a three-goal margin.
But after beating Sweden 3-0 on Thursday to win two ECQ games in one cycle for just the second time, Azerbaijan (W2, D1, L4) could feel confident that they can spring an upset. One of the finest nights in their footballing history was capped off when captain Emin Mahmudov scored from just inside the Swedish half as their wafer-thin hopes of reaching the play-offs remained alive.
Gianni De Biasi’s team have now equalled their previous-best ECQ points haul and should travel with some optimism after winning four of their past seven games on foreign soil (D1, L2). However, both defeats came against sides ranked among FIFA’s top 25 (Austria and Sweden) so taking on Belgium (#5) presents an even bigger challenge.
Players to watch: Romelu Lukaku is a potent threat at any time but three of his last four goals for Belgium arrived between the 55th and 60th minute. Dangerous wherever he is on the pitch, Mahmudov has netted three goals across Azerbaijan’s last four matches – from close range, the penalty spot and 40+ yards!
Hot stat: Belgium have scored at least three times in nine of their last 11 home ECQ fixtures (W9, D2).