Azerbaijan – Northern Ireland

Azerbaijan hosts Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifier from Group C in the capital Baku. The game is going to be played on Saturday night.After participating in the Euro 2016 in France, Northern Ireland is once again performing in a solid way in the World Cup qualifiers. The Brits are currently at the 2nd place in Group C, being just behind the current world champion Germany.So far Northern Ireland has won 10 points in the first five matches, recording three wins, one draw, and one loss. Their goal difference is also impressive. They have scored 10 goals and conceded just two – both of them against Germany. It means that Northern Ireland kept a clean sheet in four of its five games so far.Azerbaijan on the other hand is also performing in a decent way so far. Although they are 4th in the group so far, they are on just three points behind Northern Ireland. Which means that they could level with them if they manage to beat them in front of their own fans in Baku.The first game between these two teams didn’t end very well for Azerbaijan. They traveled to Belfast in November, but they have suffered a really heavy defeat with 0-4. Can they avenge their loss on Saturday night?Judging by the results so far, Northern Ireland is clearly the favorite in this clash. How we said, they didn’t concede in four of their five matches so far, which tells us that this team has a really strong defense. They also scored 10 goals in 5 games, which speaks of a dangerous attack as well.In their last game, Northern Ireland beat Norway with 2-0 at home, almost killing their chances to qualify for the World Cup.In their last match, Azerbaijan lost with 1-4 its home game against Germany. It was their second consecutive loss in the group, after losing against Northern Ireland as well.