Qarabag FK will look to secure their place in the Europa League when they host NK Olimpija on Thursday. The Azerbaijani champions chalked up a healthy advantage in Slovenia last week. Ljubljana must overturn a sizeable deficit in Baku in order to advance.
Preview (Qarabag FK vs. NK Olimpija)
It would be an understatement to say that Qarabag had a great start to the first leg as the visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead before halftime thanks to goals from midfielder Leandro Andrade of Cape Verde and defender Kevin Medina of Colombia. Despite Ljubljana’s best attempts, no additional goals were scored at Stozice Stadium. The hosts ultimately finished the game with 10 men after David Sualehe was sent off. Sualehe will miss the second leg due to suspension. Gurban Gurbanov’s were on their way for a sixth straight victory in all competitions. They were 1-0 up against Kapaz with just a few minutes remaining.
The Horsemen will be optimistic of completing the deal on Thursday. They have only lost one of their four games in the Azerbaijan Premier League this season. They have lost only two of their 11 meetings in all competitions. Ljubljana can consider themselves fairly unlucky to have lost the first leg 2-0. Joao Henriques’s team made 10 attempts despite controlling the majority of possession but were unable to break through. They had 16 shots against Celje despite having 58% possession. The Dragons lost 4-2 as a result. Ljubljana has now dropped four of their past six games across all competitions.
With four wins, one draw, and five losses in their previous 10 matches—losses that occurred in Champions League qualifying, Europa League qualification, and domestic competition—Ljubljana has had a mediocre start to the season. However, the fact that the Slovenian champions have scored seven goals in their last three games gives them confidence, and they will be optimistic that things will change in Baku.
Team News
Toral Bayramov will remain in Qarabag’s four-man backline with Elvin Cafarquliyev playing on the other side of the hosts’ defense since Marko Vesovic and Abbas Huseynov, the right-back pair, are out due to injuries. Leandro Andrade, Yassine Benzia, and Abdellah Zoubir will provide attacking assistance for Redon Xhixha, the lone striker for Albania, while Adama Diakhaby, a former winger for Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest, is anticipated to start on the bench. On the other hand, David Sualehe, was suspended after receiving two cautions in the first leg. He won’t be available for Ljubljana on Thursday, which means Aljaz Krefl will probably replace him in that position.
Saar Fadida and Pedro Lucas, the two strikers at the other end of the field, should remain up front in a 4-4-2 formation, with Svit Seslar and Rui Pedro providing attacking support from the flanks. We expect the visitors to cause plenty of issues in Baku given that Ljubljana must give Qarabag all on Thursday, but the hosts will probably advance thanks to their performance in the first leg.
Qarabag 2 – 2 NK Olimpija
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