Ireland vs Azerbaijan Basketball Preview
Ireland faces Azerbaijan in the FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers. This is the third round of fixtures for Group A and Ireland is the only team without a win. The match is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 at 5:00 pm and will be played in the Dublin National Basketball Arena.
Azerbaijan started the group stage with a loss against league leaders in Switzerland. They bounced back emphatically against Kosovo to win by ten points. Ireland faced Kosovo in round one but fell seven points short of the Dardanians. They capitulated against Switzerland and found themselves in a precarious position. Ireland must win this game to keep the hopes of qualifying for the FIBA World Cup alive.
Ireland vs Azerbaijan Basketball Predictions
Score Prediction: Ireland 76-82 Azerbaijan
Ireland is far from the strongest basketball nation, but they have some talent in the books. Unfortunately, the three other countries in Group A have worked together more effectively after two games. We think the boys in green will put up a fight and make life hard for Azerbaijan, but ultimately fall short by six points. Our basketball prediction is for an Azerbaijan win.
Ireland enters this fixture on a two-game slide, and they need a miracle to stop the rot. In the FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers, only the top team in the group goes through to the next stage. The runner-up spot is not guaranteed as they award it to the best second-placed team. Right now, Azerbaijan has that spot, so it would take a miracle for Ireland to progress. There are four more fixtures in this group stage, but if they want any hope, they must win this week.
While we have seen Ireland take to the court twice in this group stage, they are well behind Azerbaijan. Milli Komanda, affectionally known as The National Team, has three players with point averages above 15 per game. Ireland only has one, Jordan Blount. Blount did not have the best game against the Swiss, but he remained one of the bright sparks in an otherwise poor performance. Seán Flood contributed 15 points to that game. He will also need to step up this week.
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On the Azerbaijani side, two fantastic American-Azerbaijani players, and a wily veteran, scored the points for the national side. Zach LeDay, Donta Hall, and Aydin Haciyeva Orhan are leading by example at the top. Hall also leads the rebounds list with 14.0 across the two games. He is miles ahead of Ireland’s best player, Jordan Blount, on nine per game.
These talented players have such an important role in international basketball. Hall has a field goal percentage of 88%, much more than Ireland’s Seán Flood on 53%. However, betting on basketball games requires more than looking at statistics, it’s about matchups. The Irish players’ best chance of winning this game is to defend better than they have done in the group stage so far and capitalise on their chances. This Azerbaijan side is powerful, but there are also holes in their defence, exposed by Switzerland.
It will take a monstrous performance from Ireland to win this game, but they can do it. If they can get Blount and Flood on the ball as often as possible and support players like Treacy and Dick to step up, this Irish side will be tough to stop. However, they will need a better game plan to handle LeDay, Hall, and Haciyeva.
Ireland vs Azerbaijan Basketball Betting Tips
If you are going to bet on the FIBA World Cup, you need to consider who has something to play for. Basketball is a fantastic sport for the underdogs as the pressure can make diamonds. Betting on the underdog this week could be worthwhile, given we are approaching do-or-die time for Ireland.
Moneyline
However, Azerbaijan is not to be underestimated. Their three best players trump Ireland’s talent pool, and they have more on the bench waiting for an opportunity. Betting on Azerbaijan is the most straightforward option but it remains the least rewarding. Instead, there are plenty of other markets to consider this Thursday at our sportsbook.
Handicap
Betting on the handicap in basketball is often a profitable move, as you can secure better returns than an outright prediction. We think there will be six points between the teams at the final whistle, but this could easily extend if Ireland’s defence collapses. Check the live betting markets after the first quarter to see how Ireland approaches this game. If they are solid at the back, they stand a good chance of causing an upset.
Prop Bets
This is the riskiest market from an Ireland perspective, as both Blount and Flood have enjoyed good games, but not consecutively. Flood picked up 15 points against the Swiss, but only 12 against Kosovo. Blount registered 12 last games but a whopping 27 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists against the Kosovans. Betting on Blount to have another 20+ point game could be a good move, considering Ireland needs it to remain on the hunt.
For the Azerbaijani team, three players stand tall, which makes choosing one incredibly difficult. In their victory against Kosovo, Haciyeva scored 27 points with 11 rebounds and one assist. Hall was up there as well, with 20 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. LeDay did not feature, even though he registered 22 points against the Swiss. Betting on Azerbaijan is the way to go, and we back the 35-year-old veteran, Haciyeva, to get the most points for his team again.
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Ireland vs Azerbaijan Basketball Head-To-Head and Key Stats
Ireland has not faced Azerbaijan in men’s professional basketball before, but the U20s clashed in July earlier this year. The young Irish side came out on top 61-58, and the senior team will hope to emulate their result. Focusing on this tournament, Azerbaijan has the upper hand heading into this clash. The key area they dominate is the number of blocks. Ireland has zero across both qualifiers, while Azerbaijan averages 3.5 per game. This is an enormous gap that Ireland must shore up before stepping foot on the court this Thursday.
Where Ireland is most likely to cause some damage is with turnovers. The boys in green average 14.5 points from turnovers per game, securing 16.5 fast break points as well. Azerbaijan only managed 10 and 8.5 in these metrics, respectively. We have mentioned individual achievements, but the overall free throw percentage from Ireland is another weakness. They only convert 57.7% compared to the 71.1% from their rivals. Neither percentage is incredibly lethal, proving there is room for improvement on both sides of the court.
Looking at Ireland’s most recent games, they have only won one quarter, and that was against Kosovo. They won the fourth quarter by one point, which was not enough to salvage anything from the game. Azerbaijan decimated the Swiss in the first quarter of their game before letting the lead slip and eventually lost by 19 points. Against Kosovo, they won one quarter, which was enough to win the match.
While Azerbaijan remains the favourite, Ireland has every chance of causing an upset. However, if they were to win, it would be by three points or fewer. Azerbaijan could win this match in any number of ways, including blowing the Irish opposition out of the water on home turf. Here’s hoping the home fans in Dublin provide the team a much-needed boost over the line.
