Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Azerbaijan
Match Time & Date:
07/09/2018
12:00 PM
Prediction: 1-1
Kosovo
The Baki Olimpiya Stadium in Baku will be the venue for this League D, Group 3 clash between Azerbaijan and Kosovo. This will also be the first time two nations played against each other. With Faroe Islands and Malta being the other two nations in this group, both teams will like their chances to win the group. Azerbaijan is in mixed form, winning three times in their last ten games, drawing two times and losing five times. However, two of those three wins came in their last three games, one against Kyrgyzstan and the last one against Latvia. Kosovo has four wins and six defeats in the last ten matches, but their wins came in their last four games, against Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Latvia and more recently, against Albania. There is a lot to play for in this game, so we might get a nervous game and a draw.
Highlighted Player (Richard):
Richard is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder at Qarabag of Azerbaijan. Richard Almeida de Oliveira was born on March 20, 1989 in Sao Paulo, Brazil and he started his senior career at Santo Andre. After making only four appearances in the league for the Brazilian club, he signed a loan deal with Portuguese side Gil Vicente.
In 2012 he moved to Azerbaijan, signing a contract with Qarabag and he has been playing for the Atilar ever since. Richard impressed in his debut season with the club as he scored 13 goals in 30 appearances in the national championship for Qarabag. The 177-cm tall player made his Azerbaijan debut on June 10, 2017 in a 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland.
His main position is central midfield, but he is capable of playing as both attacking midfielder and a left winger as well. It has to be noted that Richard’s contract with Qarabag should expire on June 30, 2018.
Highlighted Team (Kosovo):
Despite the fact that a number of countries have yet to recognize Kosovo, they have been participating in the World Cup qualifiers September 5, 2016. Kosovo did well to hold Finland to a 1-1 draw in their opener, but they were outclassed by Croatia (0-6) in their second group game.
Albert Bunjaki’s men have slim chances of qualifying for the showpiece tournament in Russia, but, no doubt, they will use qualifying matches to gain a much-needed experience. Kosovo recorded their biggest win over Monaco on April 22, 2006, but they were not a member of FIFA back then. The Kosovo national football team played their first ever international friendly against Haiti in March 2014 and the match ended in a goalless draw.
Kosovo footballers wear blue shirts and black shorts when playing at home, while they play in yellow shirts and yellow shorts when facing their rivals on the road. Albert Bunjaku, who played for the likes of Nurnberg and Kaiserslautern in the past, is the team’s most notable player.
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