Azerbaijan vs Austria Prediction (16.10.2023)

UEFA Euro 2024 will take place next summer and the road to qualifying for that tournament continues this week with the latest international break. As clubs across the continent hit the pause button on their domestic leagues, plenty of countries will be hoping to edge closer to the finals. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between Azerbaijan and Austria.

Azerbaijan aren’t particularly known for their footballing prowess on the international stage, but they’re actively taking steps to change that as they attempt to transform the identity of their national team. They have a few bright sparks coming through the ranks but if they want to qualify for a tournament anytime soon, they need to find a different tactical approach.

Following convincing defeats to Austria and Sweden, Azerbaijan got back on the horse with a 1-1 draw at home to Estonia. They then pushed Belgium all the way in a narrow 1-0 loss, before getting some confidence back with a 2-1 friendly win over Jordan.

They’ve always been a dangerous kind of opponent, but Austria haven’t quite been able to get over the hump and become a consistent force. The likes of David Alaba have always pushed hard for them to get to that next level but for now, they’re just a ‘middle of the road’ team in Europe, always striving to prove they can get out of the shadow of some of their neighbours.

After solid wins over Azerbaijan and Estonia, Austria did well to hold Belgium to a 1-1 draw away from home. They proceeded to knock off Sweden 2-0 and after a 1-1 friendly draw with Moldova, they got right back to it with another win over Sweden - this time by a 3-1 scoreline.

For whatever reason, it just feels like this one is going to be a real slugfest between two sides who aren’t afraid to really go for it when necessary. Azerbaijan are willing to throw down with the best of them when on the back foot, and with Austria being a strong attack-minded team, we’re going to predict over 2.5 goals will be scored here.