Ukraine vs Azerbaijan: prediction & betting odds 13 October 2025

The Matchday 8 World Cup 2026 qualifying clash between Ukraine and Azerbaijan will take place on October 13 at the Józef Piłsudski Stadium in Kraków, Poland. Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Ukraine

It seems the Ukrainians will once again finish in second place and will have to qualify for a major football tournament through the playoffs. In this qualification, Serhiy Rebrov's team is second, having defeated Iceland away (5-3) in the last round – their main rival for this position in Group D. Competing with France for the top spot is unlikely, as they trail by five points and lost the head-to-head match 0-2.

• In the last 13 World Cup qualifiers, Ukraine has lost only twice (4 wins and 7 draws).
• Both teams scored in 10 of Ukraine's last 13 matches in this tournament.
• No more than two goals were scored in 13 of Ukraine's last 17 World Cup qualifiers.

Predicted lineup for Ukraine (4-5-1)

Anatoliy Trubin – Yukhym Konoplya, Illia Zabarnyi, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Mykola Matviyenko – Ruslan Malinovskyi, Yehor Yarmolyuk, Mykola Shaparenko, Nazar Voloshyn, Oleksiy Gutsulyak – Vladyslav Vanat.

Due to injuries, goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, midfielders Heorhiy Sudakov and Oleksandr Zubkov, as well as forwards Roman Yaremchuk and Viktor Tsyhankov, are unavailable.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has managed only one successful match in the current group stage, which was a draw against Ukraine (1-1). In the other two matches, they suffered heavy away defeats to Iceland (0-5) and France (0-3). The team is at the bottom of the group standings and will lose all chances for the top spot if they do not win.

• The team's winless streak in World Cup qualifiers stands at 13 matches – 2 draws and 11 losses.
• At least three goals were scored in 6 of Azerbaijan's last 7 matches in this tournament.
• They conceded three or more goals in 6 of their last 7 World Cup qualifiers.

Predicted lineup for Azerbaijan (5-4-1)

Shahruddin Mahammadaliyev – Bahlul Mustafazada, Jalal Huseynov, Anton Krivotsyuk, Gismat Aliyev, Elvin Jafarguliyev – Abdulla Haybulaev, Emin Mahmudov, Toral Bayramov, Rustam Akhmedzade – Nariman Akhundzade.

Defender Rahil Mammadov is out due to injury.

Referee

Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)

Matches – 14 (International matches, 2024–2025);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 63;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;

Red cards shown – 5;

Average fouls per match – 25;

Penalties – 14%.

Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan: Match Prediction

The Ukrainians consistently create problems for themselves. In the first encounter between these teams, Serhiy Rebrov's side should have defeated the group's underdog but only managed a draw, while other teams in the group thrashed the Caucasians. In Iceland, the team corrected this by defeating the Icelanders by two goals. Another slip-up against Azerbaijan cannot be afforded, as it could cost them second place.

Azerbaijan struggles against all group opponents. They managed to take points once, but in the second meeting, Ukraine will not make the same mistake and will confidently defeat the underdog. Moreover, Azerbaijan has a poor World Cup qualifying record, especially away, where they have lost 8 of their last 9 matches. In this series, they have been defeated by two or more goals six times.

My prediction – “Ukraine with a handicap (-1.5)”