Estonia vs Azerbaijan

Estonia and Azerbaijan are set to trade tackles at A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn as their battle for survival in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League C reaches a crucial stage.

A sense of trepidation is spreading around the Estonian camp following a two-game losing start to the 2024/25 Nations League cycle, with the Baltic minnows staring down the barrel of an immediate return to the competition’s lowest tier. Azerbaijan’s visit to Tallinn doesn’t bode well either, considering the Blueshirts went winless in both meetings between the countries in 2023 (D1, L1). However, Estonia’s historic record against this opposition remains evenly split (W1, D2, L1), though it’s worth noting that their only win came in a friendly back in 2013. The present looks far more ominous for the hosts as they’ve lost five of their last seven internationals on home turf (W1, D1), failing to find the back of the net in each defeat!

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan encountered similar fortunes in their opening two Group C1 outings last month, succumbing to a two-goal margin defeat against both Slovakia and Sweden. The only difference is that, unlike Estonia, they at least got on the scoresheet in a 3-1 loss against Sweden. Hitting the road usually spells disaster for the former Soviet republic, considering that five of their last six away matches have yielded a multi-goal margin defeat (W1). Former Portugal manager Fernando Santos has experienced an awful start to his tenure since taking over the reins in June, losing three of his first four games in charge (W1), with his side ominously conceding 2+ goals on each occasion.