Preview: Azerbaijan vs. Sweden - prediction, team news, lineups

Both nations have already been eliminated from top-two contention, but Sweden's fate paled into insignificance amid the distressing scenes in Brussels last month.

Match preview

While Azerbaijan can only finish third at best in Euro 2024 qualifying, Giovanni De Biasi's men are still in contention to reach their maiden major tournament via the playoffs, although they are relying on some of their former League C rivals to do them a favour for that scenario to materialise.

October began positively for Thursday's hosts, who followed up a 2-1 friendly success over Jordan in September with a 2-0 qualifying win over basement side Estonia, and they gave already-qualified Austria a brilliant run for their money on matchday six.

In the end, however, Marcel Sabitzer's 48th-minute penalty - conceded by a Rahil Mammadov handball - denied Azerbaijan a point, and De Biasi's team could hardly have been blessed with a more difficult end to proceedings; a trip to group leaders Belgium awaits on Sunday.

Nevertheless, the fourth-placed National Team could progress to the playoffs as one of the four top-ranked League C teams, although those spots are currently filled by Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg, with Azerbaijan next in line for a ticket.

With Georgia unable to finish in the top two of their section, De Biasi's men will therefore require at least one of Greece, Kazakhstan or Luxembourg to qualify directly and pass their playoff spot onto them, but the first item on the National Team's agenda is ending a nine-game streak without a home win in Euros qualifying.

After Viktor Gyokeres's goal for Sweden was cancelled out by a Romelu Lukaku penalty in Brussels on October 16, the harrowing news broke of two Swedish supporters being shot dead in a terrorist attack in the Belgian capital as they made their way to the King Baudouin Stadium.

As Sweden fans were kept inside the stadium for their own safety, both teams agreed to prematurely end the match at half time before also shaking hands on the 1-1 half-time scoreline as the full-time result, given that little was at stake with regards to qualification.

While football will undoubtedly come second for Janne Andersson's side in their final two fixtures, the Blue and Yellow - who sit third in the group with seven points to their name - have failed to qualify for the Euros for the first time since 1996, meaning that Andersson's tenure in the hotseat will come to an end this month.

The 61-year-old - who has been in control of the reins since 2016 - agreed to step down if he failed to lead Sweden to next year's tournament, so the Blue and Yellow can only endeavour to give their long-serving leader the perfect send-off in his final two games in charge against Azerbaijan and Estonia.

The visitors' two opponents this month are the only two sides to have fallen to defeat to Sweden in Euro 2024 qualifying, as Andersson oversaw a 5-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan on home soil in March, which saw the Blue and Yellow make it three for three against the National Team following 1-0 and 3-0 wins in 2002 World Cup qualifying.

Azerbaijan Euro Champ Qualifying form:

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Azerbaijan form (all competitions):

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Sweden Euro Champ Qualifying form:

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Sweden form (all competitions):

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Team News

Thursday's game is set to be a poignant occasion for Azerbaijan striker Musa Qurbanly, who plies his trade in the top flight of Swedish football with Djurgaden, but the 21-year-old will likely have to provide impetus from the bench this week.

Instead, 10-goal attacker Sheydayev ought to form a two-pronged attack with Hatayspor's Renat Dadashov, most likely with Emin Mahmudov wearing the captain's armband as Azerbaijan's creator-in-chief.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak headlines Sweden's list of absentees as the Magpies marksman battles his way back from a groin injury, although he is expected to make a full recovery while domestic action is on hold.

Isak withdrew from the Sweden squad prior to their abandoned meeting with Belgium anyway, so Andersson ought to deploy an identical strikeforce of Gyokeres and Dejan Kulusevski, the former of whom has been a revelation for Sporting Lisbon with 12 goals and four assists in 14 matches since his move from Coventry City.

Azerbaijan possible starting lineup:

Mahammadaliyev; Mammadov, Kryvotsiuk, Haqverdi; Bayramov, Diniyev, Isayev, Cafarquiliyev; Mahmudov; Sheydayev, Dadashov

Sweden possible starting lineup:

Olsen; Wahlqvist, Lindelof, Helander, Augustinsson; Svanberg, Ekdal, Cajuste, Forsberg; Kulusevski, Gyokeres

We say: Azerbaijan 0-2 Sweden

Without a win or even a goal from their three previous showdowns with Sweden, Azerbaijan's scoreless and victory-less streak versus the Scandinavians ought to continue on Thursday, even if Andersson's men understandably find it difficult to focus on the football.

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