Azerbaijan vs Malta prediction 05.06.2026 | International Friendly

Azerbaijan return to international friendly action after coming out on top in their recent FIFA Series encounters against Saint Lucia and Sierra Leone.

After a commanding 6:1 win against the Caribbean nation, Aykhan Abbasov’s side claimed a penalty shootout win against the Africans after a 1:1 draw.

Before those improved performances, Azerbaijan had failed to win any of 16 previous fixtures, with three defeats suffered in that period. 

Outside of their dominant win against Saint Lucia, goals have been a problem for the Eastern European nation. Azerbaijan scored just five goals in 13 fixtures since October 2024.

Head coach Aykhan Abbasov has a 24-man squad available this week. Renat Dadashov is likely to lead the Azerbaijan attack on Friday.

Malta make the trip to Haladás Sportkomplexum in Hungary after a narrow 2:1 defeat against Slovakia in a friendly fixture earlier this week. Roland Galčík’s goal, deep in stoppage time denied the Maltese a positive road result. 

Like their opponents on Friday, Malta have found victories hard to come by in recent years. Emilio De Leo’s side have won just two of their last 14 matches although they did claim a shock 1:0 victory in Finland in a World Cup qualifier last year. 

A lack of quality in the final third remains the biggest issue for Malta. De Leo’s men scored just five goals in their last seven games, but did bag twice in a narrow 3:2 defeat against Poland. 

Head coach De Leo has a 26-man squad available for Friday’s international fixture. Joseph Mbong could win his 74th cap.