Preview: Azerbaijan vs. Belgium - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to cement their place in Group F's top two, Belgium will make the long trip to Azerbaijan for Saturday's European Championship qualifier.

Situated between Austria and Sweden in the early standings, the Red Devils are expected to leave Baku victorious - their hosts sit bottom of the pile on just one point.

Match preview

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Belgium's rebuild continued in June, after a dire end to the Roberto Martinez era - which finished in World Cup disappointment - as they inched a little closer to the Euro 2024 finals.

Having succeeded Martinez in the aftermath of a failed mission to Qatar, new coach Domenico Tedesco started his tenure in the spring, when Romelu Lukaku's hat-trick helped Belgium see off Sweden in their opening qualifier and the Belgians posted a 3-2 friendly win over Germany.

The Red Devils then reconvened a few months later, finishing off the 2022-23 season with a 1-1 home draw against Austria and routine 3-0 defeat of Estonia - the latter featuring a Lukaku brace.

As a result, Tedesco's team sit second in the Group F table and - already four points clear of third-placed Sweden - are on course to secure their spot in Germany for next summer.

Vice-captain Lukaku joins skipper Jan Vertonghen among a handful of players in the current squad who have accrued over 50 caps - in fact, both have more than 100 - but several new stars, such as Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku and PSV's Johan Bakayoko, are freshening up a side that had gone stale in recent years.

As their makeover continues, Belgium will now aim to take maximum points from this month's international window, with fixtures against Azerbaijan and Estonia offering a chance to extend their unbeaten streak to seven matches.

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Last time out, Azerbaijan picked up their first point of the qualifying process by holding fellow Group F outsiders Estonia to a 1-1 draw at Dalga Arena.

With Belgium, Sweden and Austria leading the way, the pair will most likely battle it out to avoid finishing bottom of the group, so failing to capitalise on home advantage may still rankle with boss Gianni De Biasi.

The Italian coach, formerly manager of clubs including Brescia and Torino, has been in charge of the Azeri national side for over three years now, and there have been plenty of tough times to endure since his appointment.

A 13-match winless run seriously threatened De Biasi's position, before three straight UEFA Nations League wins - over Belarus, Slovakia and Kazakhstan - steadied the ship last summer.

However, Azerbaijan then made a sluggish start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, suffering successive defeats to Austria and Sweden while conceding nine goals in the process.

Anton Kryvotsyuk's equaliser to salvage a point against the Estonians at least stopped the rot, but any notions of reaching a first major finals are already a distant dream.

Team News

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Having previously introduced some fresh faces to a familiar Belgium squad, Domenico Tedesco has named just one newcomer this month, with Hugo Siquet of Cercle Brugge being handed a promotion from the Under-21s.

The Red Devils will, of course, be without first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne due to injury, but the latter's new clubmate Jeremy Doku has been selected among Tedesco's forward options - there are nine England-based players involved in all.

Roma new boy Romelu Lukaku spearheads the visitors' attack, having racked up 19 goals in 29 European qualifiers to date, although given his lack of match-fitness there could be some rotation ahead of Tuesday's fixture in Brussels. Lois Openda and Michy Batshuayi are viable alternatives.

The hosts, meanwhile, have a far more home-based squad, featuring 18 men making their living in the Azerbaijan Premier League: Ukraine-born defender Anton Kryvotsyuk and Grasshopper striker Renat Dadashov are notable exceptions.

After scoring in June's draw with Estonia, Kryvotsyuk - of South Korean club Daejeon Citizen - could partner Bahlul Mustafazada at centre-back, while Dadashov leads the line up front.

The latter has yet to score a European Championship qualifying goal in his career, but fellow forwards Ramil Sheydayev and Dinamo Zagreb's Mahir Emreli have two apiece.

Azerbaijan possible starting lineup:
Magomedaliyev; Haghverdi, Mustafazada, Kryvotsyuk, Cafarguliyev; Diniyev, Camalov; Sheydayev, Mahmudov, Isayev; Dadashov

Belgium possible starting lineup:
Sels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Mangala, Onana, Tielemans; Doku, Lukaku, Carrasco

We say: Azerbaijan 0-2 Belgium

A huge gulf in class divides these sides, and Belgium will expect to make their supremacy pay. Azerbaijan's heavy losses have come away from home, though, so it may be a narrower margin that separates them than many expect.


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