Will Viktoria Plzen fail to beat Qarabag FK?
Qarabag FK has been one of the big surprises in the ongoing CL qualifiers so far. After all, the Azerbaijani record champions have already eliminated several top teams and thus fought their way into the Champions League playoffs for the first time since 2017. Now, the Czech champions Viktoria Pilsen face the next difficult hurdle.
In the first leg, Qarabag FK will benefit from home advantage and will therefore start as slight favourites. So far, the Azerbaijani record champions have never lost a match against Viktoria Pilsen. The last time the Czech visitors hosted Qarabag in a competitive match was a 1-1 draw in CL qualifying in 2016.
It is quite possible that Qarabag FK will remain unbeaten this time. Head coach Qurbanov’s team is brimming with confidence at home this season. Internationally, they have yet to lose in three home games, including a 5-1 win over Lech Poznan.
If the Azerbaijani representatives win again, Qarabag Agdam vs Viktoria Pilsen is currently paying odds of up to 2.27 for tip 1. In the dress rehearsal before the match against the visitors from Pilsen, Qarabag FK last celebrated a 2-0 win against Sumqayit in the Azerbaijani Premier League.
Qarabag Agdam – Statistics & current form
Qarabag FK are the only Azerbaijani football team ever to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League. That milestone was reached in the 2017/18 season by head coach Qurbanov, who has now been in charge for almost 14 years.
In a top-class group with top clubs such as Chelsea, AS Roma and Atlético Madrid, Qarabag were eliminated from the competition at the bottom of the group. Since then, the international successes of the Azerbaijani record champions have been limited.
One partial success was their entry into the knockout phase of the 2021/22 Conference League, in which Qarabag FK were only knocked out of the competition by Olympique Marseille. Surprisingly, they even lost 3-0 at home. Nevertheless, the home strength remains the showpiece of the Azerbaijani representatives.
Does Qarabag FK defy the Czech offensive?
By the way, the defeat against Marseille was the only defeat in the last ten international matches in front of a home crowd. In return, there was a record of 5-4-1 in this period. Two of the five victories were celebrated by Qurbanov’s team this season. Only against Ferencvaros did the Azerbaijani record holders fail to record a home victory.
Although the match against the Magyars ended in a 1-1 draw in their own stadium, Qarabag FK still managed to make the play-offs after an impressive comeback in the second leg. UEFA’s 72nd-ranked team won the second leg 3-1 away from home. It was Qarabag’s fourth international match this season in which they scored two or more goals.
Bets on Qarabag Agdam to score less than 2.5 goals in their qualifying matches have paid off in only two of their six matches so far. The Azerbaijanis will again start with their best line-up, as they did against Ferencvaros last week, and have no personnel worries to complain about.
Predicted line-up of Qarabag Agdam:
Mahammadaliyev; Bayramov, Huseynov, Vesovic, Mustafazada; Jankovic, Qarayev, Kady; Zoubir, Wadji, Sheydayev
Last matches played by Qarabag Agdam:
Premier League
13/08/2022 – Sumqayit 0 – 2 Qarabag FK
Champions League Qualifier
10/08/2022 – Ferencvaros 1 – 3 Qarabag FK
Premier League
06/08/2022 – Qarabag FK 3 – 1 Sabail
Champions League Qualifier
03/08/2022 – Qarabag FK 1 – 1 Ferencvaros
27/07/2022 – FC Zurich 2 – 2 Qarabag FK
Viktoria Pilsen – Statistics & current form
Viktoria Pilsen are gradually finding their way back to their old strength. Head coach Michal Bilek’s side, unlike their upcoming opponents from Azerbaijan, only started in international competition in the second round of CL qualifying. Since then, the Czech champions have won four international matches in a row.
Viktoria Pilsen have a 6-1-0 record across all competitions after seven competitive matches this season, with only a win against FK Teplice on Matchday 1 of the Czech Premier League eluding them, but since then Plzen have won two league games in a row to draw level on points with the likes of Brno and Bohemians.
Because the focus is currently on qualifying for the top flight, head coach Bilek had spared some key players last weekend against Hradec Kralove. Nonetheless, Viktoria Pilsen still managed an unchallenged 2-1 win at their league rivals
Next draw against Qarabag FK?
The Eastern Europeans will now look to continue their current winning streak against the record-breaking Azerbaijani champions and reach the group stage of the top flight for the first time since 2018/19. Almost six years ago, Viktoria Pilsen already met Qarabag FK in the CL qualifiers.
After a goalless draw in the first leg, a 1-1 draw away from home was enough for FC Viktoria Plzen to eliminate the Azerbaijani representatives from the competition using the away goals rule. This time, that rule will not be used, so it remains to be seen how much Viktoria Pilsen will risk in the first leg.
There is enough offensive power to score a goal. Teams like HJK and FC Sheriff have already felt this, after all Pilsen have scored at least two goals in all four matches. Against HJK, there was even a 5:0 victory, in which especially Sykora shone. The summer newcomer scored three times and is one of the key players in the Czech attack.
Predicted line-up of Viktoria Pilsen:
Stanek; Havel, Pernica, Hejda, Sykora; Kopic, Bucha, Kalvach, Mosquera; Kliment, Chory
Last matches played by Viktoria Pilsen:
1st League
13/08/2022 – FC Hradec Králové 1 – 2 Viktoria Pilsen
Champions League Qualification
09/08/2022 – Viktoria Pilsen 2 – 1 FC Sheriff
1st League
06/08/2022 – Viktoria Plzen 2 – 1 Pardubice
Champions League Qualification
02/08/2022 – FC Sheriff 1 – 2 Viktoria Pilsen
1st League
30/07/2022 – Teplice 2 – 2 Viktoria Pilsen
Qarabag Agdam – Viktoria Pilsen Direct comparison / H2H record
The two clubs have already met four times – twice in the summer preparation and twice in a competitive match. The latter was in the 2016 CL qualifiers, where Viktoria Pilsen reached the play-offs with an aggregate score of 1-1. The Czech representative was the beneficiary of UEFA’s away goals rule.
Qarabag Agdam – Viktoria Pilsen Tip
Qarabag FK are confident going into the play-offs. After the impressive results in the last qualifying rounds, the Azerbaijani record champions will not hide against Viktoria Pilsen. Especially at home, Qurbanov’s side have a realistic chance of winning given their strong record on the international stage.
Internationally, Qarabag FK have only lost one match at home in the last ten. On the other hand, they have won five and drawn three in the same period. Among others, Lech Poznan were also defeated in this period. Qarabag Agdam won 5:1 against the Poles in the first round of the current CL qualifying round.
Tentatively, we therefore rule out a surprise for Viktoria Pilsen. The visitors will not take any major risks in the match in Azerbaijan anyway. Even a draw would be pleasing for Viktoria Pilsen. This time, therefore, we expect a low-scoring encounter in which no more than two goals will be scored in the match.
