Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Ireland
Match Time & Date:
04/09/2021
18:00
Prediction: 2-1
Azerbaijan
After suffering a heart-breaking loss to Portugal on Wednesday evening, Ireland will be aiming to record their first win of the process when they take on Azerbaijan at Aviva Stadium. The Boys in Green were on the verge of beating Portugal at Estadio Algavre, but Cristiano Ronaldo eventually scored two late goals for the hosts. Defender Dara O’Shea, who limped off with injury in the 2-1 loss to Fernando Santos’ troops, is unlikely to feature in Saturday’s clash.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, failed to impress in a 2-1 loss at Luxembourg, and given Ireland’s display in their last qualifying match, we believe that home win should be considered. Legia attacker Mahir Emreli is widely expected to return to Azerbaijan’s starting XI. You should bear in mind that the two national teams have never met before in a competitive match.
Highlighted Player (Eric Bailly):
Eric Bailly started his youth career at Espanyol and he made five league appearances for the first team as well. In 2015 he joined fellow La Liga side Villarreal and after playing 35 league games for the Camp El Madrigal outfit, the Ivory Coast defenders signed a four-year contract with Manchester United.
Eric Bailly is well known for his speed and he is very strong physically. He plays as a centre back, but he is capable of playing as a full back if needed as well. Bailly made his Ivory Coast debut on 11 January, 2015 in a friendly game against Nigeria. The 187-cm-tall defender represented the Elephants at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and, no doubt, he helped the team win the prestigious trophy at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
Eric Bailly participated in the 2016 Community Shield final and it has to be noted that Manchester United defeated Leicester City 2-1 in the Wembley Stadium clash.
Highlighted Team (Azerbaijan):
Azerbaijan footballers were playing for Soviet Union national team from 1920 to 1991. In 1991 Azerbaijan gained its independence and they have been competing on the international stage ever since. The Azeri have yet to qualify for the finals of a major tournament, but they have been producing fine performances ever since Robert Prosinecki took over the reins.
On September 17, 1992 the Milli suffered a 6-3 loss to Georgia in their first international match and seven years later they recorded their biggest win, with the team beating Liechtenstein 4-0 in front of home fans in Baku. The Azerbaijan national football team wear blue shirts and blue shorts when playing at home ground, while the colour of their away kit is red.
Gurban Gurbanov is the most capped played (68) and the legendary attacker, who played for Azerbaijan from 1992 to 2005), scored 14 goals for the national team. It has to be noted that the former Soviet republic play their home matches at Baku Olympic Stadium, which was opened on March 6, 2015.
Sturm Graz
Girona 
Aston Villa 
Juventus 
Celtic
Club Brugge
Dinamo Zagreb
Borussia Dortmund 
Liverpool
Real Madrid 
Monaco 
Benfica
