Looking to secure their first UEFA Nations League victory in more than six years, Liechtenstein welcome Azerbaijan to the Rheinpark Stadion on Friday night.

The hosts are preparing for their penultimate group-stage fixture, while this will be the fourth and final match of the campaign for Aykhan Abbasov's side.

Match preview

Led by Konrad Funfstuck, Liechtenstein, who are ranked 202nd in the FIFA World Rankings, are searching for just the third victory of his three-and-a-half-year tenure, with the Blau-Rot boss having recorded two wins, five draws and 29 defeats since taking charge in May 2023.

Funfstuck has been aiming to secure his first Nations League victory as manager of the landlocked Central European nation, but has so far been unable to achieve that in the 2026-27 edition of the competition.

Liechtenstein began their campaign with a 2-0 home defeat to Lithuania before playing out a goalless draw away to their upcoming opponents, while they also suffered 2-0 losses to Malta and Gibraltar in friendly fixtures either side of that Nations League stalemate.

Competing in a three-team group in League D, rather than the usual four-team format, Liechtenstein have played one match fewer than Azerbaijan and Lithuania, although even a rare victory on Friday would be unlikely to lift them into the top two before the final round of fixtures.

The Blau-Rot's most recent victory came earlier this year against Tanzania, when a second-half strike from Ferhat Saglam secured a 1-0 success, another win this week would mark their first in the Nations League since beating fellow minnows San Marino 2-0 in September 2020.

As for the visitors, they make the 2,551-mile journey west looking to build on what has been a largely positive year.

Abbasov, who took charge of Azerbaijan after previously managing their Under-21 side, has guided the National Team to an unbeaten start in the Nations League, with his side sitting top of the group after recording two draws and one victory.

A 1-1 draw away to Lithuania was followed by a goalless stalemate against Friday's opponents, before Azerbaijan claimed their first victory in the competition since 2023 with a 1-0 success in Baku last month.

Across eight matches this calendar year, Azerbaijan have lost just once, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Malta, while recording five victories, including an emphatic 6-1 win over Saint Lucia to begin their positive run.

Should Abbasov's side secure a second Nations League victory on Friday, they will finish top of the group with eight points and an unbeaten record, representing a significant improvement on their 2024-25 campaign, when they failed to win any of their six matches and conceded 17 goals.

The two nations meet for the second time in just over a month after opening October with a goalless draw, which was their first encounter in more than 13 years.

Liechtenstein Nations League form:

Azerbaijan Nations League form:

Team News

Liechtenstein are likely to name a similar starting XI to the one that featured in their defeat to Gibraltar last month.

Vice-captain and goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel will remain between the posts as he prepares to make his 86th international appearance, while Dennis Salanovic could return to the side after not featuring since June.

Set to earn his 66th cap for his country, Azerbaijan captain Emin Mahmudov is also expected to return to the midfield after starting on the bench in his side's most recent fixture.

Italian-born teenager Lorenzo Mezzotero has featured in Serie B this season and could be in contention to make his international debut, although Mahir Emreli is expected to lead the line as he looks to add to the seven goals he has scored for his country.

Liechtenstein possible starting lineup:

Buchel; Meier, Hasler, Beck, Hofer; Zund, Sele, Kranz, Goppel; Luque-Notaro, Salanovic

Azerbaijan possible starting lineup:

Balayev; Mammadov, Badalov, Dashdamirov; Mutallimov, Khaybulaev, Isayev, Khaybulayev; Bayramov, Emreli, Mammadov

We say: Liechtenstein 0-1 Azerbaijan

With Azerbaijan enjoying their best run of form for several years, they will be keen to close out the Nations League in positive fashion. 

We see the away side coming away with three points and securing another 1-0 win over Liechtenstein. 

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.