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Kick-off: Saturday, 26 March @15:00 GMT
Venue: Gloria Golf Resort Pitch A (Belek)
Live Stream: fuboTV (US), bet365 (non-US)
Head to head record
Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan 3-2 (Euro 2012 qualifiers)
Kazakhstan vs Azerbaijan 2-1 (Euro 2012 qualifiers)
Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan 0-0 (2008 Friendly International)
Kazakhstan vs Azerbaijan 1-1 (Euro 2008 qualifiers)
Kazakhstan vs Azerbaijan 1-0 (Euro 2008 qualifiers)
Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan prediction
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the two former Soviet republics, take on each other at Gloria Golf Resort Pitch A on Saturday afternoon. The two teams seem to be evenly matched at the moment and a close encounter appears on the cards.
Poor Euro 2021 qualifying campaign
Azerbaijan failed to impress in the Euro 2021 qualifiers, with the team finishing the process in fifth position in Group H. The Azeri collected just six points from possible 30 in their qualifying campaign, with the team managing to record no more than one win in their qualifying group. Croatian boss Robert Prosinecki is still in charge of the team and he is on a quest to help Azerbaijan record a good result in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The Azeri recorded a 2-1 win over Moldova in November and thanks to the triumph the team put an end to their six-game winless run and they are certainly capable of grabbing something from Saturday’s match against Kazakhstan. Robert Prosinecki does not have top-class players in his team, but they will, as always, leave their hearts on the field.
Agabala Ramazanov came as a substitute and scored in the 2-1 triumph over Kazakhstan and he is widely expected to return to the starting line-up. Ruslan Qurbanov is widely expected to lead the line for the hosts. Eddy Israfilov asked Robert Prosinecki to miss the Kazakhstan friendly, with the Croatian tactician responding positively to his appeal.
Morale-boosting win over Latvia
Kazakhstan experienced all sorts of problems in Euro 2021 qualifiers as well, with the team suffering no less than seven defeats in the process. However, the Kazakhs did remarkably well to beat Latvia on the road in their final group game, with the team finally showing signs of improvement. Yury Krasnozhan is still in charge of the team and his men will be looking to build on the 1-0 win over Latvia when they take on Azerbaijan in their first warm-up game of the new year. Kazakhstan suffered only one defeat in last five away matches and that is giving the fans a reason for optimism ahead of the trip to Belek. Islambek Kuat scored the winner against the Latvians and it remains to be seen if he is capable of extending his goal-scoring run.
Coach Yury Krasnozhan is likely to use the match to test as many players as possible. The likes of Gorman, Schketkin and Konysbaev, who came as substitutes in the win over Latvia could be recalled to the starting line-up.
Quick Facts
- Kazakhstan are after their first ever win at Azerbaijan
- Eight goals in total were scored in previous two meetings between the two teams
- Azerbaijan managed to keep four clean sheets in last eight home games
- Kazakhs conceded no more than three goals in previous three away fixtures
- Yury Krasnozhan’s men managed to keep a clean sheet in last two away matches
Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan betting tip
Kazakhstan are tough to beat on the road and seeing that Azerbaijan were struggling in front of goal in the Euro 2021 qualifiers, I would not be surprised if we see a low-scoring affair in Belek on Saturday afternoon. As I have already mentioned, the two teams seem to be evenly matched and there is every chance they will play out a low-scoring draw this time out.
Tip: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 1.55 (6/11) @BetVictor
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