Azerbaijan vs Slovakia: Live Score, H2H, and Lineups – Nations League Clash

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A heavily awaited match in the UEFA Nations League, Azerbaijan vs. Slovakia, is on Monday, October 14, 2024. This match is from the edition of 2024-25 of the Nations League and will be one of the most crucial ones for both teams to make a better position in Group 1 of League C. While Azerbaijan has not come up to its potential so far in this year's competition, and Slovakia has been fighting for the top in the group, all eyes will be on Tofiq Bəhramov adına Respublika Stadionu in Baku, where this rivalry will be held.

Azerbaijan's Struggles Continue into 2024-25 Nations League

So far, the aspect of Azerbaijan in the Nations League in 2024-25 has been underwhelming, to say the least. Under the new manager Fernando Santos, the national team found themselves bottom-placed in the group without a single point after three matches. This form is poles apart from the respectable form when Azerbaijan finished second in its group during the 2022-23 Nations League season, narrowly missing promotion into League B.

The transition under Santos has been rather tough, with the Portuguese manager yet to find the winning formula for his new side. Since taking over in June 2024, Santos has overseen three defeats in the Nations League, including losses to Slovakia 0-2, Sweden 0-3, and Estonia 1-2. Azerbaijan's defense has been leaky while their attacking play has lacked sharpness, raising questions over their ability to turn things around in the current campaign.

The last victory that came in the competitive calendar was a 3-0 win against Sweden back in November 2023, giving the fans some cause for optimism. Since then, however, Azerbaijan has simply failed to show consistency with just two wins in 2024, one of which was a friendly against Kazakhstan in June.

Fans who want to follow live action of Azerbaijan’s matches, including this clash against Slovakia, can check out score808 live for real-time updates and livestream options.

Slovakia's Strong Campaign and Fight for Top Spot

Meanwhile, Slovakia has had a much more convincing Nations League campaign this calendar year. The Slovakian national team, managed by Francesco Calzona, lies second in Group 1, sharing the same points total as group leaders Sweden. Slovakia's journey in the 2024-25 competition started with consecutive victories against Estonia 3 – 1 and Azerbaijan 2 – 0, then a pulsating 2-2 draw with Sweden.

Most recently, they came back from two goals down to salvage a point against the Swedes with the help of a David Strelec double. The Falcons are a solid backdoor - Skriniar and Denis Vavro present a formidable partnership in the back, with much creativity and stability provided through the middle by Stanislav Lobotka and Ondrej Duda.

Success in this year's Nations League has built on a strong showing at Euro 2024, reaching as far as the round of 16. Eliminated by England through a sensational 2-1 loss after extra time, Slovakia received widespread praise for their overall performance at the competition and made them confident going into the Nations League.

For fans who want to catch Slovakia’s tactical moves live, score808 offers in-depth coverage and streaming options for all UEFA Nations League games.

Head-to-Head: Azerbaijan vs Slovakia

The Slovakians have a good head-to-head record against Azerbaijan. Slovakia have come out on top on five occasions, in seven matches the two nations have played against each other, while the Azeris have come out on top on two. Their last victory came against Slovakia in the 2022-23 Nations League when they won 2-1 at home. However, Slovakia avenged that loss earlier this year after coming out winners with a goal each from both half of play to seal a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture.

In fact, with an average of 2.86 goals per game in their matches against each other in the past, the match on Monday is likely to be open as well as a game with goals on cards.

Tactical Analysis
Azerbaijan's Tactical Approach
Under Fernando Santos, though, Azerbaijan has been more cautious and combative. Santos-the man who led Portugal to title victory at Euro 2016-is a pragmatic manager usually accenting defensive solidity and good organization. Recently, though, Azerbaijan's defense has badly struggled to cope with the pressure on them, letting in six goals across their three Nations League games so far.

One of the biggest problems for Azerbaijan has been an inability to control possession times and build from the back into attack. The team predominantly sits deep and looks to counterattack; however, those transitions have been slow and predictable, which allows opponents to recover into their defensive shape. Santos may be forced to adapt tactically to encourage quicker ball movement and more support to their forward players-particularly the often-isolated Renat Dadashov up front.

This, together with the long balls, has also allowed Azerbaijan to take advantage of the pace of their forwards, whereby attacking plays have mainly come off set pieces. Mahir Emreli, who has netted six times for the national team, can start this match and be the key figure, as his movement and finishing ability will be crucial in breaking down Slovakia's defense. Azerbaijan's midfield will also need to be more active in the battles with creative players like Ceyhun Nuriyev and Ismayil Isaev expected to support the attack.

Slovakia's Tactical Approach
Under Francesco Calzona, Slovakia is more balanced and plays possession-based football. They have shown the tendency to control midfield, with Lobotka acting as the deep-lying playmaker who dictates the tempo. The backline marshaled by Skriniar is arguably one of the strong links in the chain, as they have conceded just three goals so far in the Nations League.

Attack-wise, Slovakia has quite a number of options: Strelec, Tomas Suslov, and Lukas Haraslin all offer pace and creativity. Strelec, in particular, has been in great form, and his two goals against Sweden will probably seal his position for the start against Azerbaijan. There could also be a Calzona tactic that would take full advantage of the defensive vulnerabilities of Azerbaijan by urging his full-backs, Peter Pekarik and David Hancko, further forward to provide width.

Pressing high and forcing mistakes from the back of their opponents have been one of the main tactical strengths of Slovakia. They are likely to press against Azerbaijan, trying to win the ball back and flowing into attack, using the pace and technical ability to forge goalscoring opportunities.

Team News and Predicted Lineups

Azerbaijan Team News
Head coach Fernando Santos of Azerbaijan will likely make one or two changes from the team that lost to Estonia, with a view to finding the right balance within his squad. Ceyhun Nuriyev and Mahir Emreli are pushing for starts and they may also feature in this important match.

Renat Dadashov, who has been the chief goal threat for Azerbaijan, starts up front again supported in attack by Emreli. Midfielders Isaev and Cafarguliyev take responsibility for controlling the tempo of the game and linking the defense to the attack. If Azerbaijan is to keep Slovakia's dangerous forwards from scoring, it will need to defend better than it has in recent games.

Azerbaijan Predicted Starting Lineup: Cannatov; Mammadov, B Huseynov, Krivotsyuk; A Huseynov, Nuriyev, Isaev, Cafarguliyev; Emreli, Dadashov, Bayramov

Slovakia Team News

Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona has plenty of options at his disposal, but he is unlikely to ring too many changes compared to the team that grabbed a point versus Sweden. Milan Skriniar and Denis Vavro will be the central figure in the defence, Lobotka and Duda will pull the strings in the middle of the park.

David Strelec will most probably start after his two goals against Sweden, while Suslov and Haraslin come into the lineup to provide width and creativity in the final third. There is much competition for places in the squad, so if need be, goal-scorer Calzona can have the option of tactical changes.
Predicted Starting Lineup: Rodak; Pekarik, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Duda, Lobotka, Benes; Suslov, Strelec, Haraslin

Key Players to Watch

Azerbaijan: Renat Dadashov

Renat Dadashov is Azerbaijan's talisman and will be their main goal-scoring threat in this match. While the striker can hold up play and bring others into the game, if he is going to feature much against a strong Slovakia defence then he will need better service from his teammates. It could be Dadashov's proficiency from set pieces that proves the key to breaking down Slovakia's defence.

Slovakia: Milan Skriniar
Milan Skriniar is the lynchpin in the defense of Slovakia, and his presence at the back will be important in nullifying Azerbaijan's attack. The composure on the ball and reading of the game from Skriniar make him one of the best defenders in Europe. His leadership and organizational skills will thus be so vital as Slovakia seeks to keep a clean sheet in this match.

Match Prediction

With the teams' form coming into this match, Slovakia will go into this as a clear favorite to seal a win. Azerbaijan has been pretty hopeless at the back, and Slovakia's attacking options-first through Strelec, then Suslov-should be enough to blast the doors down. Slovakia's ability to control the midfield and press high will likely disrupt Azerbaijan's rhythm, and unless Azerbaijan can put on a far better show than this, then it could be a pretty long night for the home side.

Prediction: Azerbaijan 0-2 Slovakia

Conclusion

The match between Azerbaijan and Slovakia in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League will be a defining one for both teams. While Slovakia try to keep pace with Sweden at the top of the group, Azerbaijan will be desperate to secure their first points of the campaign and avoid relegation to League D. With the strong form of Slovakia, poor defense from Azerbaijan means the visitors are favored in Baku to take all three points. Being the underdogs at home, Azerbaijan will hope for inspiration from their home crowd to cause an upset.

Generally, this match tends to promise the fans a nail-biting encounter with much at stake from both ends. The tactical battle will surely be expected by the fans, as Slovakia will look to dominate possession while Azerbaijan will look to frustrate their opponents with a solid defensive setup. It remains to be seen whether it will be Azerbaijan who rise to the occasion or Slovakia continuing with their push for promotion, but for sure, UEFA Nations League drama will unfold in full force on Monday night.