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Timor-Leste and Mongolia lock horns at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Gianyar, Indonesia on Thursday for the first leg of their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier playoffs clash. Ranked 196th in the world, Timor-Leste are one of the weakest sides and have not qualified for a major tournament in their history.
For the last edition of the Asian Cup, the island nation were even disqualified from participating in the qualifiers after being found guilty of playing 12 ineligible players in the same qualifier and some other games.
Now back in contention, Timor-Leste are playing a competitive game of football for the first time since October last year, when a pair of defeats to Chinese Taipei ended their World Cup progression in the first round.
On the other hand, Mongolia aren't the most formidable side, sitting just six places above Timor-Leste in the world rankings. In their last 10 games, the Blue Wolves have won just once, although that victory came in their most recent outing: a 2-1 defeat of Cambodia in a friendly game some months ago.
Timor-Leste vs Mongolia Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- The sides meet for just the third time in history.
- Timor-Leste have beaten Mongolia in both their previous clashes: a 4-1 win at home followed by a 1-0 away victory a few days later in March 2015, when the sides clashed in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Mongolia have won just one of their last 10 official clashes, a 2-1 win over Cambodia in a June friendly this year. That's also the only game out of four wherein the Blue Wolves have scored.
- Timor-Leste are playing for the first time since their 4-0 and 3-0 losses to Chinese Taipei in October 2023 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Timor-Leste vs Mongolia Prediction
This is a clash of two low-ranked sides that lack genuine quality in their squad. Timor-Leste will look back upon their pair of wins over Mongolia in 2015 for inspiration and will aim to repeat the feat here, but their lack of game time means it will be easier said than done.
The Blue Wolves should be able to hold them to a draw, although we expect it to be low-scoring.
Prediction: Timor-Leste 1-1 Mongolia
Timor-Leste vs Mongolia Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
