Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Nations League match.
The Azerbaijan national team suffered a defeat in Estonia and now face a much more formidable opponent in Slovakia.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan had the upper hand against Estonia in nearly all aspects but still failed to secure even a point from their trip to the Baltic coast. With 15 (5) shots compared to Estonia's 10 (4), and 1.74 xG vs 1.63 xG, the match somehow ended 3:1 in Estonia's favour. That's partly due to Karl Hein's outstanding performance, which helped withstand the visitors' pressure and shots in the first half-hour. Estonia opened the scoring on the counter in the 32nd minute, making it even tougher for Azerbaijan to break their defence. Azerbaijan managed only a penalty, converted by Aydyn Bayramov.
Slovakia
Unlike the Estonians, Slovakia won't be backing down defensively, and their attack is much stronger. At home against Sweden, they played more effectively: 11 shots (5 on target) vs 19 (8 on target), and 2-6 in clear chances. However, the xG better reflected the 2:2 final score, with Slovakia at 1.95 to Sweden's 1.83. The team have not left the field without scoring in ten consecutive matches.
Azerbaijan vs Slovakia Prediction
In their last five encounters, Slovakia have always scored against Azerbaijan and only lost once, winning the others. Given the quality of play and finishing from the hosts, it's hard to see a positive result for them. Our prediction is a high-scoring win for Slovakia.
