Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan will take place in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday evening with the knowledge that they have already qualified for promotion to the second division for the very first time in their nation’s history.
Although Azerbaijan has no chance of qualifying for the next round, the home team will be very motivated to try and get the victory that would put them in second place in League C Group 4.
Match Preview: Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan began their most recent season in the UEFA Nations League with hope rather than expectation due to the inclusion of Slovakia in their group.
However, the squad managed by Magomed Adiyev has been outstanding throughout, accumulating 13 points from a possible 15 throughout five matches to ensure promotion to League B with a game to spare.
The Hawks were able to set themselves up for success against the team in the last position in the group on Thursday by claiming two close victories against the favorites in the competition. In the end, this was what made the difference.
Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov late goal gave Kazakhstan a 2-1 victory in Astana, even though they did not have it all their own way and were down by the time the game reached halftime.
Kazakhstan may now enter this match without any weight on their shoulders; nonetheless, the hope of extending its winning run to six games will give some fuel for them. They are not in a position where they can capture the tourists.
But they will already be satisfied with their own campaign. This is the standpoint from which Azerbaijan is seeing the situation. The team captained by Gianni De Biasi finished their most recent outing with six points after playing in the same number of matches as they did in their previous outing.
Since then, they have improved their point total to seven despite playing in one less match. Azerbaijan won their second game in a row on Thursday, which also happened to be their most noteworthy victory in several years.
They prevailed against Slovakia by a score of 2-1 thanks to a last-second goal. Renat Dadashov, who had already signed a deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Hojjat Haghverdi both scored their first international goals to complete a victory that will be remembered for a long time in Trnava.
Team News: Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan
As a result of Richard Almeyda receiving his second caution of the tournament during Azerbaijan’s match against Slovakia, the Azerbaijani team will have to play without him.
In his stead, Aleksey Isayev may receive the nod, but if De Biasi stays true to his word and names a full-strength team, which might be the only change.
Askhat Tagybergen and Zaynutdinov, both of whom were suspended, were unable to compete for Kazakhstan on Sunday due to disciplinary reasons.
There is a good chance that Islambek Kuat and Elkhan Astanov will be added to the squad. However, other alterations are conceivable if Adiyev decides he wants to evaluate other players.
- Azerbaijan Possible Starting Lineup: Mahammadaliyev, Hagverdi, Mustafazadeh, Huseynov, Jafarguiliyev, Isayev, Israfilov, Kokcu, Mahmudov, Sheydayev, Dadashov.
- Kazakhstan Possible Starting Lineup: Shatskiy, Maliy, Marochkin, Alip, Gabyshev, Darabayev, Kuat, Vorogovskiy, Orazov, Astanov, Aymbetov.
Our Prediction: Azerbaijan 1-1 Kazakhstan
As the stakes have become less significant for Kazakhstan, it is possible that they may not execute with the same level of passion. Considering this information, our best guess is that the game will end in a scoreless tie between two clubs that have exceeded their goals for this season in terms of their performance.
