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Azerbaijan vs Portugal: predictions for the World Cup qualifier
The bottom team of the group, Azerbaijan, will host Portugal in the World Cup qualifier on September 7. Cristiano Ronaldo won't be able to help his team due to suspension. Will hosts avoid a beating? The answer is in our prediction.
Command Analysis
Azerbaijan
AzerbaijanAzerbaijan picked up only one point out of four qualifying matches, so they are currently at the bottom of their group. Gianni De Biasi's side scored only three goals, less than any team in the group. In the previous round Azerbaijan managed to avoid a defeat on an away game against Ireland and even had a chance to beat the opponent.
Visitors scored in the first-half and were keeping the score until the end. But hosts managed to score an equalizer at 87th minute. As a result, game ended with a 1:1 score and Azerbaijan got the first point in the current tournament.
Portugal
PortugalPortugal national team, managed by Fernando Santos, have 10 points, they are tied with Serbia, who are ahead on tiebreakers. Portugal conceded only four goals, less than anyone in the group.
In the previous match Selecao played against Ireland at home. Visitors scored the first goal, but Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace and missed a penalty kick, that's how hosts edged a victory in a match, where they were considered an overwhelming favourite (2:1). Towards the end of the match the main star of Portuguese team got a yellow card, so now he is suspended for the match against Azerbaijan.
Trends
СтавкаExact score 0:2
Two most recent home games of Azerbaijan ended with that result
СтавкаPortugal to score in the second half
In five most recent away games team scored three goals after half-time
СтавкаTotal of the first half under 1.5
In four most recent matches of Azerbaijan this bet won
Tip and bets
Azerbaijan played three home games against Portugal and never lost by more than two goals. Plus their opponents will play without Cristiano Ronaldo, so it should affect positively on hosts' motivation and negatively on the visitors.
Even without their leader, Portugal will dominate the game, but the absence of their captain will probably affect the score. We think that hosts will be able to put up a decent performance in this match and they should avoid a heavy defeat.
Our prediction - Asian handicap (+2.5) for Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan are not an offensive team at all, so they are unlikely to find a chance to score against a team like Portugal. Visitors will probably score, but with the absence of their main attacking option they are unlikely to put up many goals. In our opinion, we won't see a high-scoring game.
Our second bet will be on total under three goals
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