Azerbaijan vs Lithuania – News and Probable Lineups

Azerbaijan and Lithuania will face off for the second time in just a week when they meet at Neftci Arena in Baku for a UEFA Nations League showdown.

This matchday three clash within League D includes two unbeaten teams, with Lithuania having accumulated four points while Azerbaijan sits with two.

Match overview

Azerbaijan was previously hoping to move ahead of Lithuania with a victory in Sunday’s Nations League encounter.

Nonetheless, a shift in the competition format following the 2026-27 season implies that all teams in League D will advance to League C, irrespective of their standings.

This effectively renders the upcoming fixture — as well as every other match in this stage — somewhat ceremonial, although outcomes may still influence the world rankings of the participating nations.

With no competitive stress, Aykhan Abbasov’s squad heads into this weekend after drawing twice in Group 2 of League D, culminating in a 1-1 stalemate against Lithuania in September, followed by a scoreless draw against Liechtenstein on Thursday.

Having gone without a win in League C last season, which led to their relegation, Milli Komanda now finds itself on an eight-match winless run across both Leagues C and D.

It will be interesting to see if they can break this poor streak on Sunday, as Abbasov’s team targets a win against the side ahead of them in the group with four points, despite the fact that standings are moot due to all teams in League D being promoted to C.

Nonetheless, Lithuania will aim to maintain their impressive unbeaten record in this matchup, even though the two nations have only met on four occasions historically.

The Rinktine has not suffered defeat to Azerbaijan in three meetings since their first encounter in June 1998, a period of 28 years.

Lithuania claimed victory in their subsequent clash in March 2008, but the last two matches concluded with draws of 0-0 and 1-1.

The most recent 1-1 draw took place in Kaunas, where both teams scored in the first 15 minutes and the score remained unchanged for the full duration of the contest.

After breaking a six-match losing streak in the Nations League with a win against Liechtenstein on September 24, the Tricolours seek a second victory in three matches to solidify their position after the international break.

Team News

Aykhan Abbasov’s team appears to be fit as they head into the encounter with Lithuania and Liechtenstein without any injury issues.

However, Emin Mahmudov was a non-playing substitute during the last matchup less than a week ago, yet no player on the team has netted more than the Neftci star’s 16 goals, indicating he may be pivotal in their attacking strategy.

Armandas Kucys is likely to assume a similar role for Lithuania as he approaches the weekend with seven international goals, the highest in the squad.

Gvidas Gineitis, who plays for Torino in Serie A, could also represent an attacking threat for Trispalves this Sunday.

Azerbaijan probable starting XI:

Balayev; Mutallimov, Badalov, Kryvotsyuk, Bayramov; Khaibulayev, Mahmudov; Emreli, Sadykhov, Isgandarli; Sacrifice

Lithuania probable starting XI:

Bartkus; Armalas, Utkus, Tutyskinas; Lickunas, Michelbrink, Gineitis, Lasickas; Slivka, Dolznikov; Kucys

Even though the competitive stakes have been entirely removed by the new promotion structure, both countries will view this match as an essential opportunity to gain momentum.

Given that the teams are evenly matched after their recent 1-1 draw and both have capable attacking outlets, another tightly contested fixture is anticipated to conclude with both sides sharing the points in Baku.