Qarabag take on the visitors Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of UEFA Europa League 1/8-finals. The match will be played on Thursday, February 7th at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium (Baku).
Qarabag confirm their decent level. The Horses are something of a showcase for Azerbaijani football. Despite not being able to elevate the national team to a worthy level with oil dollars, notable coaches are still lured to Baku. However, the club can afford to buy talented foreign players, resulting in something akin to the Caspian PSG, which dominates at home but don't pay much attention to it, understanding there's no competition. However, Qarabag haven't reached the level of the Champions League main stage; last summer, they failed to qualify again. However, in the simpler Europa League, Azerbaijanis are perceived as a serious contender with a reputation. This was confirmed once again when they advanced from the group stage. However, making it past Braga in February was a clear surprise. Perhaps the Portuguese underestimated their opponents from the Caucasus, eventually losing 2-4 at home. While they won the return match in Baku, the 3-2 score wasn't enough for overall success.
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Bayer intends to shatter its unique statistic. The Aspirin are rewriting football history this season. They broke the all-German record held by Bayern for consecutive matches without defeat. They also trounced the Star of the South last month, effectively ending the intrigue in the battle for the silver salad bowl. The team had more trouble with Stuttgart, but they beat them too, thus advancing to the semifinals of the country's cup. This will clearly be one of the priorities this spring. However, no one will be surprised if the Spaniard and his players focus on the Europa League. Even last season, they reached the semifinals, where they narrowly lost to Mourinho's Roma. In the new campaign, the Germans had a flawless record: 6 wins in 6 matches played, resulting in winning their group. As a result, they return to the tournament's playoffs only now, skipping the February preliminary playoff round and once again facing a familiar opponent.
If the sides hadn't met before this cycle, they ended up in the same group in the fall. Then, the Germans prevailed both times: 5-1 in Leverkusen and 1-0 in Baku. Expecting the leader of German football to win again, and quite easily. It's worth betting on the home side with a handicap of +1.5 goals.
Prediction for the match: Qarabag to win with +1.5 handicap.
