Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Kairat Almaty welcome Qarabag to their Almaty Ortalyk Stadion in the Conference League round 4. Qarabag did well to beat Kairat in Azerbaijan two weeks ago, with the team moving one step closer to booking their place in the last 32. The Azeri are six points clear of the Kazakhs in Group H, meaning that the visitors should be happy with one point from the match. Ramil Sheydaev, who scored as a substitute in the last group game, is pushing for a start.
Kairat Almaty, on the other hand, are eyeing their first win of the process. Vagner Love and Co. want this win more than the visitors, which is probably the main reason why we are tempted to put our money on the Kazakhs. Love is widely expected to return to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in a goalless draw with Zhetysy Taldykorgan.
Highlighted Player (Maksim Medvedev):
Maksim Medvedev is an Azerbaijan international who plays for Qarabag as a right-back. Born in Baku, back then Soviet Union, on September 29, 1989, Medvedev is a first-team regular at the Azerbaijan national football team.
He played an important role in the national team during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, but he scored his first international goal in a 1-0 win over Norway on October 8, 2016. Speaking of his club career, Maksim Medvedev is a product of the Qarabag football academy, and he continued playing for the Azeri giants at senior level. His main position is right-back, but he is used as both right midfielder and centre-back as well.
Medvedev made his debut in the Champions League group stages in a 6-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on September 12, 2017. The 175-cm tall footballer wears the No. 5 jersey at Qarabag, and his preferred foot is right.
Highlighted Team (Qarabag):
Over the years Qarabag have established themselves as one of the best teams in Azerbaijan. The club was founded in 1951 and they were playing under the name of Mehsul back then. Qarabag won their first trophy in the national championship in 1993, beating Khazar Sumgayit in the title game.
In the 2015/2016 season they won their fourth domestic trophy, with the team finishing the season 22 points clear of second-placed Zira. Qarabag participated in the 2016/2017 Champions League qualifiers, but they were more than unfortunate to suffer a loss to Viktoria Plzen in the two-legged tie. The Azerbaijan outfit were beaten by the Czechs on away goal rule and, as a result, they made it to the Europa League playoffs.
Thanks to a win over Goteborg in the double-header Qarabag made it to the knockout stages of the competition. The Horsemen play their home games at Azersun Arena and their home colours are black. Qarabag play their away games in white kits.