Slovakia vs Azerbaijan prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League C betting tips on match 2024-09-07 16:00.
[p]After an encouraging summer that saw them reach the last 16 of UEFA Euro 2024, only to agonisingly lose in extra time to England, Slovakia got their UEFA Nations League (UNL) campaign off to the ideal start, defeating Estonia 1-0 on Thursday. They will now be looking to secure back-to-back wins in the competition for the first time ever when they host Azerbaijan, a country they’ve beaten eight times in ten previous meetings (L2). [/p]
[p]Slovakia probably won’t take their upcoming opponents lightly though, as the last H2H two years ago saw them suffer a 2-1 UNL defeat, allowing Azerbaijan to finish above them in League C Group 3. If Francesco Calzona’s men are to avenge that loss however, don’t expect it to be a walk in the park, as the Falcons’ last seven UNL matches have all been decided by a goal at most (W3, D1, L3). [/p]
[p]Azerbaijan have made quietly impressive progress in the UNL, beginning by coming second in League D Group 3 in 2018/19 to earn promotion, before finishing third in their debut League C campaign and then moving one position higher in 2022/23. Fernando Santos, the former Portugal boss, took over in June, but after a prolonged period of preparation for his first game in charge, the result was a disappointing one as his new team lost 3-1 to Sweden on Thursday. [/p]
[p]The aforementioned 2-1 victory over Slovakia in 2022 was part of a history-making five-match winning streak for Azerbaijan at the time, but since the start of last September, form has been much more mixed (W5, D1, L4). The transcontinental nation are certainly entertaining though, as there has been at least one goal after the 70th minute in each of their last seven games (G24). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Tomáš Suslov’s winner against Estonia is the second straight time that he’s made the difference in Slovakia’s UNL campaign opener, having done the same against Belarus two years ago (1-0). Looking to upstage him here in Košice will be Renat Dadashov, who, after scoring and being booked in his last club encounter before the international break, repeated the feat against Sweden, while his first Azerbaijan goal coincidentally came in that 2-1 triumph over Slovakia. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Across their last seven matches, Slovakia’s opponents on the day haven’t scored a first-half goal from open play. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]