In Tallinn, Estonia and Azerbaijan will face off in the 3rd round of the UEFA Nations League C, Group 1. Both teams have yet to earn a point after two rounds, making them the group's underdogs.
Idman.biz presents an article from Russia’s soccer365.ru regarding the match, which expresses optimism about Azerbaijan's chances.
The article highlights that Estonia started the Nations League as expected, with two defeats: "After a hard-fought first round loss to Slovakia (0:1) despite heroic saves from Karl Hein, Jürgen Henn’s team stood no chance against Sweden in the second round. After moving up from League D, Estonia had high hopes but have struggled against stronger opponents."
It’s also noted that Estonia will be missing their key striker, Rauno Sappinen, due to illness: "Flora Tallinn’s forward couldn't join the national team, and his Flora teammate, striker Mark Anders Lepik, is also sidelined due toinjury. However, 16-year-old midfielder Patrick Kristal, who has been in excellent form for Paide, is expected to feature again and might even start."
The author points out Estonia's struggles in attack: "Estonia’s offense is their weakest point. In their last eight official matches, they’ve scored only once. While they netted 10 goals in four League D matches against Malta and San Marino, their performance against stronger teams has been much weaker. In the Baltic Cup and friendly games, their attack has been somewhat successful, but they’ve only scored twice in the European Championship qualifiers – one of those goals coming against Azerbaijan."
Under Fernando Santos, Azerbaijan is expected to improve: "Like Estonia, Azerbaijan lost their first two matches to group favorites Sweden and Slovakia. However, their new coach Fernando Santos is confident he can elevate the team’s performance, and indeed, improvements have been noticeable, though the team still needs time. Their match against Estonia could show a more solidified squad."
Changes within the Azerbaijani team are described: "Fernando Santos has roughly established his starting lineup, bringing most of the same players from the previous matches against Estonia and Slovakia. The only absences are goalkeeper Imanov and defender Seydiyev, who are out of form, as well as injured players Bahlul Mustafazada (Qarabag) and Elvin Jamalov (Sabah). Additionally, young player Nariman Akhundzade has been moved to the youth team to gain more playing time."
The article compares Santos with his predecessor, De Biasi: "Unlike De Biasi, Santos selects players based on their form. Many of the squad members play regularly for their clubs, and in the last matches before the training camp, they performed decently. However, one major issue is scoring. Out of the 23 players called up, only two managed to score last weekend – Ramil Sheydayev and Elvin Cafarquliyev."
According to the author, Azerbaijan has a higher chance of winning: "Both teams are at the bottom of Group 1, and these head-to-head matches will likely decide who stays in League C. Azerbaijan, under Santos, seems more confident despite losing their first two matches. The squad is in good shape, though the attack has struggled to score consistently."
In contrast, Estonia’s attack is described as even more dire: "At a higher level, they’ve stopped scoring altogether, and they seem outmatched by teams stronger than Malta and San Marino."
Match Prediction: 0:2
Idman.biz
