Azerbaijan will be bidding to return to winning ways when they take on Mongolia in an international friendly on Friday evening.
The hosts will enter the contest off the back of a 5-0 loss to Belgium in their final Euro 2024 qualifier, while Mongolia suffered a 1-0 defeat to Afghanistan in a first-round 2026 World Cup qualifier last October.
Match preview
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Azerbaijan boasted a record of two wins, one draw and five defeats from their eight Euro 2024 qualification matches, which saw them collect seven points to finish down in fourth position in Group F.
It was just the second time in their history that the national side managed to record two victories from a European Championship qualification campaign, so it was certainly a step in the right direction, with their standout result proving to be a 3-0 home success over Sweden on November 16.
The National Team suffered a 5-0 defeat to Belgium in their last match, but they have been victorious in their last three friendlies, overcoming Moldova, North Macedonia and Jordan.
Arif Asadov's side will take on Bulgaria in their next friendly on March 25, with the team building towards the return of competitive action in September.
Azerbaijan will face Estonia, Slovakia and Sweden in Group 1 of League C in the UEFA Nations League, with their first match coming against Sweden on September 5.
Mongolia, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Afghanistan in their first-round World Cup qualification clash last October, with the team falling at the first hurdle.
Ichiro Otsuka's side will bring a three-game losing run into this match, while they have not been victorious since a 2-0 success over Yemen in an Asian Cup qualification game in June 2022.
Mongolia will also face Tanzania during the current international break, and they will be bidding to win a friendly for the first time since overcoming Laos in October 2018.
The East Asian outfit lost 6-1 to Georgia in their last friendly in March 2023, and the national side have not actually managed to score a single goal since that fixture, drawing a blank in their last five matches.
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Team News
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Azerbaijan boss Asadov will make use of his squad on Friday, but a strong XI is expected to take to the field for the first whistle, including the captain Emin Mahmudov.
The 31-year-old, who has scored 11 times for his country, is expected to operate in an advanced midfield role, with Ramil Sheydayev likely to be given the nod in the final third of the field.
Ozan Kokcu and Aleksey Isayev are in line for starting roles in midfield, while there is expected to be a 67th international appearance for defender Badavi Guseynov.
As for Mongolia, Baljinnyam Batbold is the leading goalscorer in their squad with four, which is an indication of the team's struggles in the final third of the field.
Dolgoon Amaraa has netted once for his national side in 12 appearances, and he is also expected to feature in an attacking area on Friday night.
There is a lack of experience in the latest squad, but Tsend-Ayuush Khurelbaatar has played 41 times for Mongolia, and the 34-year-old should be given the nod in midfield against Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan possible starting lineup:
Magomedaliyev; Bayramov, Mammadov, Seydiyev, Guseynov; Ozobic, Kokcu, Isayev, Pascual; Mahmudov; Sheydayev
Mongolia possible starting lineup:
Enkhtaivan; Orkhon, Bat-Erdene, Purevdorj, Volodya; Khurelbaatar, Ganbold, Gantuya, Sodmunkh; Batbold, Amaraa
We say: Azerbaijan 3-0 Mongolia
This is a tough ask for Mongolia, with Azerbaijan the heavy favourites on Friday night. Both managers will make use of their squads in this match, and with the hosts having the superior quality across the board, we are expecting them to comfortably triumph in this friendly encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
