Friday don come, and Azerbaijan dey ready to host Malta for international friendly match. Dis one na their first meeting since 2022, when Malta break 20-year winless run against Azerbaijan by winning 1-0. Both teams dey prepare for next UEFA Nations League campaign, but dem also dey try to fix their own problems.
Azerbaijan don suffer for World Cup qualifying. Since September 2024 to March 2026, dem no win any match, but dem draw against Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine. Dem lose 3-1 to France for home, but later dem beat Saint Lucia 6-1 and draw 1-1 with Sierra Leone before winning on penalties. New coach Aykhan Abbasov dey bring hope, but if dem no beat Malta, pressure go increase.
Malta collect only four points from eight World Cup qualifiers, but dem get big victory: 1-0 win against Finland for November 2025. Jake Grech score winner for 81st minute, wey be one of Malta best wins ever. But since then, dem lose 5-0 on aggregate to Luxembourg for Nations League relegation playoff. Dem still lose 2-1 to Slovakia for Monday, with Slovakia score winner for 97th minute.
For Azerbaijan squad, Rza Cafarov and Elvin Cafarquilyev no dey available. Salahat Agayev and Toral Bayramov fit start. Renat Dadashov, wey play for Motor Lublin but no score for whole season, go lead attack. He dey try to score and join joint-fifth for all-time Azerbaijan goalscorers list.
Malta coach Emilio De Leo fit make small changes. Joseph Mbong score against Slovakia, and him brother Paul Mbong replace am. Kurt Shaw and Matthew Guillaumier, wey play 94 minutes against Slovakia, fit drop out.
Both teams don struggle for form, so match no go get plenty quality. But home advantage fit help Azerbaijan win with clean sheet. Kick-off time na 5 June 2026, 19:00. Fans wey want watch fit use VPN to bypass geo-restrictions, as broadcasters like DAZN, fuboTV, and others dey show am for different countries.
