Our prediction for this Europa League match:
Qarabag will look to seal their spot in the Europa League last 16 when they take on Hacken at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium on Thursday. The Azeri are brimming with confidence following a 6-1 win over Sumqayit and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. Montenegro international Marko Vesovic is a major doubt after limping off with injury in the last league match, while Julio Romao is back from suspension.
Hacken, on the other hand, do not seem to be competitive at this level, with the team suffering a loss in each of their five group games. As the visitors have nothing to play for in Thursday’s encounter, we predict that the hosts are going to book their place in the Europa League knockout stages. There are no fresh injury worries in the away team as the 2023 Allsvenskan campaign came to an end.
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.