Lithuania vs Azerbaijan – News and Probable Lineups

Lithuania aims to secure consecutive victories in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League as they host Azerbaijan on Sunday evening.

The home team has already commenced their League D Group 2 journey with a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein on Thursday, while this will mark Azerbaijan’s first match in this group.

Match overview

With League D being eliminated for the 2028-29 edition of the Nations League, all teams will be advanced from League C, but this tournament still provides an opportunity to collect essential wins and bolster confidence for the future.

Lithuania kicked off their League D Group 2 campaign on Thursday evening, achieving a 2-0 triumph against Liechtenstein, with goals from Lukas Michelbrink and Artur Dolzikov.

After this clash, Edgaras Jankauskas’ squad will face a friendly match against Andorra on September 30, before playing Azerbaijan again away on October 4.

Lithuania lost all six matches in the 2024-25 Nations League, making their recent victory a significant advancement for the national team.

The National Team has played against Azerbaijan on three occasions, recording one win, one draw, and one loss.

The last encounter between these teams occurred in March 2019, with a friendly ending in a 0-0 draw.

Azerbaijan will head into this match following a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan in a friendly on Wednesday, and they also secured a win against San Marino on June 9. They are looking for a third consecutive victory in this Nations League fixture.

Aykhan Abbasov’s team is scheduled to play three Nations League matches during this international break, with the next fixture being at home against Liechtenstein on October 1, followed by another match against Lithuania three days later.

Azerbaijan was relegated from League C in the 2024-25 tournament, making this their first Nations League campaign in League D since the 2018-19 season.

Lithuania Nations League form:

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Lithuania form (all competitions):

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Azerbaijan form (all competitions):

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Team News

Lithuania has not reported any new injury issues ahead of this match.

Considering their previous performance and result, it would not be surprising to see the same starting XI take the field against Azerbaijan.

Armandas Kucys is expected to be involved in the attacking section of the pitch, with Michelbrink likely getting a role in midfield.

On the Azerbaijan side, Mahir Emreli and Renat Dadasov may play as the front two this Sunday.

Emin Mahmudov stands out in midfield, having scored 16 goals for the national team, and he will be looking to contribute for the visitors against Lithuania once more.

There is also considerable experience in defence, with Badavi Guseynov and Anton Kryvotsyuk likely to feature from the start in this League D matchup.

Lithuania probable starting XI:

Bartkus; Sirvys, Kazukolovs, Utkas, Tutyskinas; Gineitis, Vorobjov, Michelbrink; Jankauskas, Kucys, Lasickas

Azerbaijan probable starting XI:

Balayev; Guseynov, Bayramov, Mammadov, Badalov; Mahmudov, Khaybulayev, Isayev, Sadykhov; Emreli, Dadasov

This encounter is difficult to predict, and a closely fought contest is anticipated regarding the final score. Both teams have arguments to claim victory, but a hard-fought match may end in a draw.