Idman.biz
The Azerbaijan national football team starts the qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup. Our team will play its first match against Iceland in Reykjavik on September 5. Considering that France and Ukraine are also in the group, this qualifying round seems like an impossible mission for the charges of head coach Fernando Santos.
İdman.biz reports that our team's unsuccessful streak has been going on for quite some time.
We won the last victory in June last year - in a friendly match against Kazakhstan (3:2). This happened before Fernando Santos.
The Portuguese expert is constantly under criticism and does not yet create serious grounds for optimism. The style of play is unclear, and there are many questions about the squad. Under these conditions, it is questionable how the team will resist not only France, but even Iceland and Ukraine. Under the leadership of the European champion, the national team has played 10 matches, lost 8 and drawn 2: goalless draws with Estonia in the League of Nations and with Latvia in a friendly match.
To achieve results, you need to score goals. Who will take on this mission in Reykjavik? The attacking line looks strong on paper - the squad includes Mahir Emreli, Musa Gurbanli, Nariman Akhundzade, Renat Dadashov, Ozan Can Kokcu. But what combination they will appear with is still an open question - this is one of the main questions addressed to Santos. In addition, the team is expected to play mainly defensively against strong Icelanders away.
The opponent's squad includes football players playing in the leading leagues of Europe. It is without a doubt that the host team will choose a strong physical game and feel very comfortable in this style. On the eve of the qualifying round, the Icelanders played friendly games in June - they defeated Scotland 3:1 and lost to Northern Ireland 0:1.
To date, Azerbaijan and Iceland have met only once - 17 years ago, in 2008, a 1:1 draw was recorded in a friendly match. Repeating such a result in Reykjavik would be very good, but this hope is weak. The home team intends to win 3 points and will most likely start the game as the superior side. The Azerbaijani national team will try to achieve results with defense and counter-attacks.
Iceland also has the advantage in terms of game organization. In the Azerbaijani national team, the squad, especially the midfield line, changes frequently. Only Emin Mahmudov stands out here as an experienced name, while other players change frequently.
Nevertheless, Santos is optimistic: "Anything is possible in football. Based on the latest games and gatherings, I can say that the boys are working well. This creates hope for a positive result."
Let's see how the qualifying round will start in Reykjavik. In just 4 days, our national team will face Ukraine in Baku.
Zəki Feyzullayev
İdman.biz
