Tajikistan host Afghanistan at the Pamir Stadium in the capital of Dushanbe on Tuesday for an international friendly. Having crushed Nepal 4-0 on Wednesday, the Crowns are looking to end the year on a high with another big victory.
Ranked 105th in the world, the Central Asian nation have gone through a rough patch this year: out of 14 official games, they've won just thrice and lost seven times.
However, the thumping win earlier this week should give them a pep in their step ahead of their final game of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Afghans also oversaw a struggling run this year, winning just once from their five outings, but it was quite memorable. The Lions of Khorasan came from behind to defeat India 2-1 in the last round of the World Cup qualifiers.
So far this month, they faced Nepal on Saturday and lost 2-0, courtesy of second-half goals from Gillespye Karki and Rohit Chand.
Tajikistan vs Afghanistan Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been six clashes between the sides in the past, with Afghanistan going winless in all of them and losing five.
- In their last encounter on June 2019, the sides drew 1-1. It was the first draw of the fixture.
- Out of 14 official matches this year, the Tajiks have won just thrice, including a 4-0 thumping of Nepal in their latest encounter on Wednesday.
- The Lions of Khorasan have failed to score in their last three official games: a 0-0 draw vs Qatar, followed by a pair of losses to Kuwait (1-0) and Nepal (2-0).
- The Afghans are ranked 151st in the world. Their rivals are 46 places above them, according to the latest FIFA World Rankings.
Tajikistan vs Afghanistan Prediction
Both teams have endured a terrible run of form this year, but the Crowns come into the fixture on the back of a big win over Nepal, which should give them a huge boost ahead of their final game of the calendar year.
The Lions of Khorasan are winless in their last three games, even losing their most recent two, and we do not expect them to win this one either.
Prediction: Tajikistan 2-0 Afghanistan
Tajikistan vs Afghanistan Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Tajikistan to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No