Ukraine Seeks Redemption Against Winless Azerbaijan in World Cup Qualifiers

On Monday, October 16, 2025, Ukraine will host Azerbaijan in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Józef Piłsudski Cracovia Stadium. The Blue and Yellow, as Ukraine's national team is known, are coming off a strong performance last Friday, when they registered their first win of the qualifying campaign with a 5-3 victory over Iceland.

In that match, Ukraine's Ruslan Malinovskyi scored a brace, while Oleksiy Hutsulyak, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, and Oleh Ocheretko also found the back of the net. This was the first time since 2022 that Ukraine had scored five goals in a single match, showcasing their attacking prowess.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, known as Milli komanda, have struggled in the ongoing qualifiers, remaining winless in their three games so far. In their previous outing last week, they suffered a 3-0 away defeat against France and failed to score for the second time in three matches.

Ukraine's defensive record has been a concern, as they conceded three goals against Iceland last week, just the second time they have done so in 2025. However, their recent offensive display suggests they will be confident of securing a narrow win against the visiting Azerbaijanis, who have a 13-game winless streak and have failed to score in two of their three meetings with Ukraine.