Already facing a potential relegation battle, Estonia and Azerbaijan will meet in Tallinn on Friday, both seeking their first points of the UEFA Nations League campaign. Both teams suffered defeats in their opening two games, leaving them at the bottom of League C Group 1.
Match Preview
Markus Poom of Estonia, September 2024
Estonia were promoted to League C after a successful 2022-23 Nations League campaign, where they won all their games in League D. However, they have found life tougher in the higher tier, losing their first two matches without scoring.
Their campaign began with a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Slovakia, followed by a 3-0 defeat away to Sweden, a match where they were down 3-0 by halftime and had Kevor Palumets sent off. Despite the heavy loss, Estonia managed to keep the scoreline respectable with 10 men.
Having missed out on Euro 2024 after a 5-1 playoff semi-final defeat to Poland, Estonia did claim some silverware by winning the Baltic Cup, but they have now gone 16 games without a victory in major competitions. New head coach Jurgen Henn will be desperate to end that drought as his side faces a crucial double-header against Azerbaijan.
Fernando Santos, Azerbaijan manager, April 2024
Azerbaijan have enjoyed some recent success against Estonia, having won 2-0 in Tallinn during Euro 2024 qualifying and drawn 1-1 in Baku. However, under their new coach Fernando Santos, they have started their Nations League campaign poorly, losing 3-1 to Sweden and 2-0 to Slovakia.
Santos, who famously led Portugal to Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League title, took over after Azerbaijan missed out on qualification for Euro 2024. Now tasked with keeping them in League C, Santos faces a crucial set of fixtures against Estonia.
Azerbaijan have a chance to turn things around in the upcoming games, but anything less than victory against their fellow strugglers would deepen their relegation fears.
Team News
Estonia
Jurgen Henn has several key absences to deal with. Striker Rauno Sappinen has withdrawn due to illness, while his club teammate Mark Anders Lepik is injured. Midfielder Kevor Palumets is suspended after his red card against Sweden, and Shamrock Rovers’ Markus Poom could step into midfield as a replacement.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan will rely on Turkey-based striker Renat Dadashov and Qarabag’s Toral Bayramov to lead the attack, though Bayramov will be hoping to bounce back from his missed penalty in the Europa League against Tottenham. Mahir Emreli, despite his struggles at Nurnberg, returns to the squad. Captain Emin Mahmudov, with 10 international goals, is set to lead the midfield.
Possible Lineups
Estonia:
- GK: Hein
- DEF: Paskotsi, Tamm, Mets, Schjonning-Larsen
- MID: Miller, Poom, Shein, Sinyavskiy
- FWD: Tamm, Anier
Azerbaijan:
- GK: Jafarov
- DEF: A. Huseynov, Mammadov, B. Huseynov, Jafarquilyev
- MID: Isayev, Jamalov, Kokcu, Mahmudov, Bayramov
- FWD: Dadashov
Prediction
Both teams are in desperate need of points, but Azerbaijan’s superior firepower could give them the edge. Estonia’s absences, particularly up front, might limit their ability to break down their opponents. Azerbaijan should have enough to claim their first victory of the group stage and leave Estonia in a tough spot.
Prediction: Estonia 0-1 Azerbaijan
