Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Tofiq Bahramov Stadium will host Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier between Qarabag and Plzen, the two teams who meet for the first time in the elite competition since 2016. Back then Plzen eliminated Qarabag on away goals rule, and the Czechs are once again seen as favourites to win the double-header. The Azeri, though, are tough to beat at home, which is probably the main reason why away triumph should not be considered. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Senegal international Ibrahima Wadji, who scored a brace in a 3-1 win over Ferencvaros, while head coach Qurban Qurbanov has no fresh injury worries.
Plzen, on the other hand, set up a meeting with Qarabag by beating HJK and Sheriff, with the team impressing at the start of the new domestic campaign as well. Anyhow, the share of spoils is on the cards as Plzen produce much better showings at home than on the travels. Defender Radim Reznik remains in the recovery room, but he should be the only absentee in the away team.
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.