David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Slovakia
Azerbaijan
One of the intriguing fixtures in the second round of the UEFA Nations League will take place in Košice, where Slovakia will host Azerbaijan. Here is our expert forecast from Dailysports.
Slovakia
The Slovakian team, known as the "Slovak Falcons," displayed a less-than-stellar performance in the previous Nations League campaign, ultimately relegating them to League C. However, Slovakia demonstrated resilience during the 2024 European Championship, successfully advancing from the group stage. In their opening match, Francesco Calzone's squad achieved a surprising victory over Belgium, a result that proved pivotal for their progression.
Despite a defeat to Ukraine in their second match, Slovakia managed a draw against Romania, ending 1-1. In the playoff stage, Slovakia gave England a formidable challenge, narrowly missing out on eliminating the Three Lions from the tournament. England secured their place in the final moments, eventually winning in extra time. In the first round of the Nations League, Slovakia secured a 1-0 away victory against Estonia.
Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani team faltered in the continental qualifiers, finishing fourth in their group. Out of eight matches, "The Millis" managed only two victories—away against Estonia with a score of 2-0 and a convincing home win over Sweden (3-0).
Following their disappointing Euro 2024 qualification, the federation appointed the renowned Portuguese coach Fernando Santos, who led Portugal to victory in Euro 2016. In four friendlies this year, Azerbaijan secured wins against Mongolia (1-0) and Kazakhstan (3-2) at home, but suffered an away loss to Albania (1-3). In the opening round of the Nations League, Azerbaijan lost at home to Sweden with a score of 1-3.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- The teams faced off in the Nations League in 2022, exchanging away victories.
- In two of the last five encounters, the bet on "Both Teams to Score" was successful.
- The bet on "Over 2.5 Goals" was successful in two of the last five matches.
Slovakia vs Azerbaijan Prediction
Slovakia is clearly favored, with bookmakers assigning a price of 1.50 for a home win. We believe Slovakia will prevail, but an intriguing option might be to bet on "Under 3.0 Goals" with a coefficient of 1.60.
