Azerbaijan vs Iceland prediction: EUROPE: World Cup – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-11-12 17:00.
[p]Ahead of the penultimate UEFA Group D matchday of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (WCQ), either or both of Azerbaijan and Iceland could crash out as the sides meet in Baku. [/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]A 2-1 defeat to Ukraine last month kept Azerbaijan bottom of the group, ruling them out of direct qualification, and even if the hosts manage to post a first win of the campaign here (D1, L3), their top-two chances will be over if Ukraine draw against or beat France later on Thursday. Caretaker manager Aykhan Abbasov therefore has his work cut out to lead Azerbaijan to their first major tournament as they remain winless since June 2024 (D3, L11). Comforts are unlikely to be found in Baku either, as Azerbaijan have lost five of their last seven home games (D2). [/p]
[p]Iceland are within three points of Group D’s play-off spot after holding France to a 2-2 draw in October. A win here will keep the dream of reaching only their second World Cup alive, but a return of just one victory from their last seven competitive games (D1, L5) suggests that will not be straightforward, even if that sole win came when they thrashed Azerbaijan 5-0 in September. Head coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson will consequently be confident of beating Azerbaijan and staying alive until the last matchday, but he will need his side to improve on the recent away form that has led to four defeats in five such outings (W1), although three of those losses have been by a single-goal margin.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]The win for Iceland in September was the first H2H since a 1-1 friendly draw back in 2008.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Three of Azerbaijan’s four qualifiers this campaign have seen more goals scored in the second half than the first.[/p]
[p]Five of Azerbaijan’s last eight home matches saw both teams score.[/p]
[p]Eight of Iceland’s last nine games returned over 2.5 goals.[/p]
[p]Four of Iceland’s last five away matches saw both teams score.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Emin Mahmudov has two goals in his last four league games at club level, while his penalty earned Azerbaijan’s only point of this WCQ campaign so far as they came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Ukraine. Albert Guðmundsson helped Fiorentina secure a point last weekend in Serie A and has three goals in this WCQ group, including Iceland’s fourth in that 5-0 win over Azerbaijan.[/p]
[p]Azerbaijan have no reported absences, while Iceland’s Sævar Atli MagnĂşsson is still missing after an injury sustained in the last break.[/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Iceland’s matches have been entertaining recently, so backing both teams to score and over 2.5 goals could be a winning pick here.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Sridhar Bhamidi[/i][/p]