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

Neither nation qualified for the forthcoming World Cup in Qatar, but both sides have Euro 2024 qualifying matches in March to prepare for.

Match preview

Moldova have never qualified for a major international tournament since playing their first official match as an independent nation in 1994, having finished bottom in each of their last four qualifying groups with only one win across them.

However, they fared better in the most recent Nations League, winning four and drawing one of their six matches in League D, ultimately missing out on promotion due to Latvia's superior goal difference.

Moldova's all-time top goalscorer Serghei Clescenco, who bagged 11 goals in 69 caps for his country, was in charge for all of those games having been appointed as head coach at the beginning of the year.

Clearly, the 50-year-old feels his side are in need of more games against nations at a similar, albeit slightly higher, level to his, with two matches against Azerbaijan and Romania set to take place at the Zimbru Stadium in Chisinau this week.

Likewise, former Soviet Union state Azerbaijan have never qualified for a major tournament since becoming established as a FIFA and UEFA member in 1994 either, despite four matches being held in Baku at the multi-national Euro 2020 tournament.

Indeed, Milli Komanda have failed to win a match in either of their most recent two qualifying campaigns, despite finishing second in their group in League C of the Nations League this year.

Former Albania boss Gianni De Biasi has led the national team since 2020, claiming a major scalp with a 2-1 win away to Slovakia, who they managed to finish ahead of in their group despite being almost 70 places lower in FIFA's World Rankings.

As such, De Biasi will be demanding a victory in Moldova on Wednesday before travelling to Skopje to face North Macedonia at the weekend.

Moldova International Friendlies form:

L

L

Moldova form (all competitions):

W

D

L

W

W

W

Azerbaijan International Friendlies form:

L

L

Azerbaijan form (all competitions):

L

D

L

W

W

W

Team News

Ion Nicolaescu will be aiming to move beyond his manager's goalscoring record for Moldova in the near future, with the 24-year-old heading into their upcoming fixtures on nine international goals.

Serafim Cojocari, meanwhile, could make his international debut at some stage, with veteran defender Igor Armas at the opposite end of the spectrum as he edges closer to 100 caps.

Azerbaijan, meanwhile, have named a youthful looking squad, with only five of their outfielders aged 30 years or older.

There are no potential debutants in De Biasi's squad, though, with Badavi Huseynov their most capped player with 64 appearances and counting.

Moldova possible starting lineup:

Celeadnic; Craciun, Bolohan, Armas; Jardan, Rata, Ionita, Platica; Motpan; Nicolaescu, Damascan

Azerbaijan possible starting lineup:

Mahammadaliyev; Haghverdi, Mustafazada, Guseynov, Cafarguliyev; Eddy, Makhmudov; Kokcu, Ozobic, Sheydayev; Dadashov

We say: Moldova 0-1 Azerbaijan

It is hard to envisage many goals being scored between two limited outfits, but we expect Azerbaijan to edge a tight encounter.

The visitors are playing at a higher Nations League level for a reason, with their superior international ranking suggesting that they should be able to beat Moldova.

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