Russia v Azerbaijan predictions

Match	Date	Selection	Bet	Odds	Bet now
Russia v Azerbaijan predictions World Cup Qualifiers, International	16/10/2012 16:00	total goals	Over 2.5 goals	1.53	Bet at Betfair
Betting prediction was written by Dan Adair

RUSSIA - AZERBAIJAN PREDICTIONS AND PREVIEW: BETTING STATS

2012 Form:
Russia P11 W6 D4 L1 GF19 GA5 GD+14 - Average goals per game: 2.18
Azerbaijan P7 W2 D3 L2 GF9 GA8 GD+1 - Average goals per game: 2.42

TEAM NEWS AND RUN OF PLAY

Russia promised so much in their opening game destruction of Czech Republic in Euro 2012 but things quickly unravelled as they struggled to beat Poland and lost to Greece. Russia responded with the unveiling of Fabio Capello. The Italian is a master at qualification and already they sit on 3 wins from 3 and have yet to concede. The team is pretty much the same is the Euro finals team but with one change. Surprisingly the man of the tournament Alan Dzagoev is dropped to the bench as Capello inplements his usual 4-4-2 style. His replacement as such is Dynamo forward Aleksandr Kokorin. There have been few complaints though as Russia sit atop the group with maximum points and are yet to concede. Russia opened up with straight forward dismissal of Northern Ireland at home with a 2-0 win. They travelled to Israel for what is usually a difficult place for any team, such was their dominance that 4-0 was considered a let off for the Israelis. Last match out Portugal arrived at the Luzhniki and Ronaldo was primed for the game. Russia gave an excellent pressing display and totally nullified Portugal in all key areas. Players harried and harrassed Portugal for 90 minutes, at no time did a Portugal man have more than a few seconds on the ball. The gameplan was perfect and Russia took the three points. Kerzhakov buried their only chance as Capello's team ran their hearts out.
Azerbaijan go into this game in ok form, delve beyond the statistics though and they are actually in a sorry state. They tend to play games against the lesser sides and this has warped their stats slightly. Any side who can only muster a draw against Andorra needs help. A draw with Singapore and a win over India is hardly preparation for a game against their former rulers. Russia will have huge dominance of possesion here and expect Azerbaijan to wilt under the pressure. With experianced coach Bertie Vogts at the helm and a few players capable of good play Azerbaijan are better than most of the smaller nations but they are not capable of living with the bigger teams as they do not have the all round qualities.

RUSSIA - AZERBAIJAN PREDICTIONS: 1X2 BETTING PREVIEW

1.10 Russia (Willhill) is a short price to be fair but no other outcome is possible here. In preview we highlighted the poor form and the shortcomings of Azerbaijan but the fact of playing their former rulers will have a massive effect here. In most cases teams are highly motivated to put one over their "previous owners" but in the former Soviet Union things are different. Russia will totally boss this game and Capello doesn't do sentiment. Russia will win this game comfortably and expect a severly one sided affair.

CLICK HERE To bet 1.10 Russia (Willhill)

RUSSIA - AZERBAIJAN:ASIAN HANDICAP PREDICTION

Russia -2.5 is the pick here (1.98 Betfair) Russia will have all the major possession here and expect a dominant game with plenty of attacking. Russia have serious back up players too so expect the likes of Dzagoev to come on and perform as he had little game time under Capello. All players are playing to a high level as this team is performing so well at present. I expect goals here for the home side who managed 4 away to a strong Isreali side. Azerbaijan capitulated against Portugal and Ronaldo's team are playing below Russia at the moment.

CLICK HERE To bet 1.98 Russia -1 (Betfair)

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RUSSIA - AZERBAIJAN PREDICTIONS: TOTAL GOALS PREVIEW

Over 2.50 1.53(Betfair) is the bet here. The odds are short yes but the chance of it happening is huge. Russia will be going at Azerbaijan from the opening whistle and the former Soviet state have little chance of stemming the tide. Azerbaijan tend to play the lower ranked teams in friendlies but for me this is not preparation, they do not tend to do well in them either so we can take a lot from that. The big pointer for us is the 0-0 with Andorra, a truly horrible result. Russia to win with goals is a certainty here.

CLICK HERE To bet Over 2.5 goals at 1.53 (betfair)