Molde take on the visitors Qarabag Lisbon in the round 5 match of UEFA Europa League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, November 30th at Aker Stadion (Molde).
Molde will try to salvage the season through this tournament. In 2011, MFK became the champion of the country for the first time. In the last season, they secured their 5th gold, combined with the Norwegian Cup. However, the grandeur has declined sharply now, trailing by 20 points behind the current Eliteserien leader, Bodø/Glimt. There are no chances, even mathematically, for a top-3 finish. Nevertheless, Erling Moe's team has performed well in European competitions. In the Champions League qualifiers, they eliminated HJK and KI Klaksvík, only to falter against Galatasaray. Moving to the Europa League, the Scandinavians lost not only to the favorite, Bayer, but also to the Azerbaijanis in Baku.
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Qarabag have long held the status of the unquestionably strongest team in their country. However, in 2021, the championship title returned to the historical grandee of the republic, Neftçi. It seemed like an exception, as the favorite twice regained the gold. Currently, under Gurban Gurbanov's guidance, they are neck and neck with Zira, losing a significant number of points. They once again failed to qualify for the Champions League, and after the debutant from Gibraltar, Lincoln Red Imps, progressed, they were ousted by the Polish Raków. The Europa League, however, has been more favorable: they defeated HJK and Olimpija in the qualifiers, and started the group stage with victories over Molde and Haugesund (both 1-0). Later, they suffered two losses, but against Bayer, whose incredible statistics might represent the best start of the season in the entire footballing Europe at this level.
In 2020, the teams faced each other in the Champions League qualifiers, where the only match ended goalless. In the penalty shootout, only Guseynov on the 6th attempt failed to convert, and the Norwegians advanced. The odds favor the home team with a relatively straightforward victory. However, for the representative of Azerbaijan, gaining points here is practically equivalent to reaching the playoffs. Let's believe that the visitors can avoid defeat.
Prediction for the match: Qarabag not to lose (X2).
