After butting heads in the Europa League group stage, Qarabag FK and Bayer Leverkusen renew acquaintances when they do battle in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium on Thursday night.
While Leverkusen collected the maximum 18 points to finish top of Group H, Qarabag claimed 10 points from six games to finish behind their German counterparts in second place.
Match preview
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At the seventh time of asking, Qarabag secured a top-two finish in their Europa League group and have since reached the last 16 of a major European competition for the first time in their history after beating Braga 6-5 on aggregate in the playoff round.
The Azerbaijani outfit won the first leg 4-2 in Portugal before being forced into extra time with 10 men in the return fixture after losing 2-0 on home soil in 90 minutes, but Gurban Gurbanov's side eventually prevailed against all the odds - despite losing 3-2 on the night - courtesy of two late strikes from Matheus Silva and Nariman Axundzada, the latter scoring in the 122nd minute to spark wild scenes from the hosts.
Qarabag are riding on a wave of elation as their admirable European efforts have coincided with their impressive form in the Azerbaijan Premier League, where they have won 13 and drawn one of their last 14 games and sit a whopping 23 points clear at the summit, needing just 11 points from as many matches to win a third successive title.
Boasting such a lead in the top flight means that Gurbanov and co can shift all their focus to a challenging last-16 tie in the Europa League with Leverkusen, a side who beat Qarabag 5-1 in Germany before winning only 1-0 in Azerbaijan in the group stage earlier this season.
Gurbanov previously visited Leverkusen's training complex to study the coaching methods of Xabi Alonso, and the 51-year-old is hoping to use his tactical nous to get the better of one of Europe's most in-demand managers as Qarabag endeavour to cause an almighty upset in arguably their biggest European game in the club's history.
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Bayer Leverkusen have extended their record-breaking unbeaten run in all competitions to 34 matches after they beat 10-man Koln 2-0 away from home on Sunday to strengthen their Bundesliga title hopes.
The dismissal of Koln striker Jan Thielmann in the 14th minute played into the hands of Leverkusen, who went on to secure a routine victory – their 30th win in all tournaments and sixth in a row – courtesy of strikes either side of half time from Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo.
Alonso's men have capitalised on Bayern Munich's faltering form in recent weeks and they are firmly in the driving seat to win their first-ever Bundesliga title, as they sit 10 points clear of the perennial champions at the top of the table with 10 games left to play.
Die Werkself are sure to have one eye on Sunday's top-flight clash with Wolfsburg, but they will now turn their attention to the Europa League and their third successive year in the last 16 of the competition, with the aim this season to better their semi-final showing from 2022-23.
Leverkusen were the only team in this season's Europa League to complete the group stage with a 100% record from six matches - the first side since Arsenal in 2020-21 to achieve such a feat - while their six-game winning streak is the longest in the competition within the same campaign since Villarreal's nine-match run en route to lifting the 2020-21 trophy.
Team News
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Qarabag defender Kevin Medina remains sidelined with a long-term injury, while Julio Romao and Elvin Cafarquliyev are both ruled out through suspension, the latter of whom was sent off in the previous round.
The absence of Cafarquliyev could see either Maksim Medvedev or Abbas Huseynov start at left-back, while Patrick Andrade could be recalled to replace Romao in centre-midfield.
Goalkeeper Andrey Lunev, who joined Qarabag from Leverkusen last summer, is expected to face his former club, while top scorer Juninho, who has netted 21 goals in 40 appearances this season, is set to lead the line.
As for Leverkusen, they are still having to cope without star striker Victor Boniface and defender Artur as they continue to recover from respective groin and thigh injuries.
Alonso will ponder whether to hand a start to backup goalkeeper Matej Kovar, who played in five of Leverkusen's six group-stage games, or select first-choice shot-stopper Lukas Hradecky between the sticks.
Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kossounou will both be pushing to start in central defence, while Exequiel Palacios, who recovered from a thigh problem to feature as a substitute last weekend, will compete with Robert Andrich for a place in midfield alongside Granit Xhaka.
Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:
Lunyov; Silva, Mustafazada, Guseynov, Medvedev; P. Andrade, Jankovic; L. Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Adli, Wirtz; Schick
We say: Qarabag FK 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
As they did against Braga in the playoff round, Qarabag will look to relish their underdog status against Leverkusen and require another resolute defensive performance, similar to their last home outing with Die Werkself earlier this season, if they wish to keep the tie alive heading into the second leg.
However, stopping the juggernaut that is Leverkusen will be a tall order for the Azerbaijani hosts, and Alonso's side should ultimately have few problems putting themselves in a strong position to progress beyond the last 16.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
