Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen to win 3-0
Best Odds: 8/1
Qarabag and Bayer Leverkusen will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Europa League this week. The first leg of the Round of 16 tie between the Azerbaijan Premier League club and the German Bundesliga outfit will be held at the Azersun Arena and is scheduled to kick off at 5: 45 pm UK time on Thursday.
Qarabag
Qarabag are one of the biggest and most well-known clubs in the Azerbaijan Premier League. They won the league title last season and are set to win this campaign as well. They are away ahead in the lead and can already celebrate.
Gurban Gurbanov’s side played in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. They ended up second in Group H with 10 points from six matches. The Azerbaijan Premier League side finished eight points behind group winners Bayer Leverkusen and had to go into the playoff round to advance to the Round of 16 stage.
Qarabag will want to make sure that they at least draw the first leg of the tie against Bayer Leverkusen. Playing at home will help them, but all of the players have to be on top of their game over the course of the 90 minutes against the Bundesliga outfit.
Team News:
Qarabag are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lunyov will be in goal and will have Silva, Mustafazada, Guseynov and Medvedev ahead of him in defence P. Andrade and Jankovic will be the two holding midfielders. L. Andrade, Benzia and Zoubir will be in attacking midfield. Juninho will lead the line for Qarabag.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen are doing extremely well this season and are in the driver’s seat for the Bundesliga title. Bayern Munich have been the dominant force in German football for years now, but things could be able to change. It now looks unlikely that Thomas Tuchel’s side will be able to catch Bayer.
Under manager Xabi Alonso, Bayer currently find themselves at the top of the Bundesliga table with 64 points from 24 matches. They are as many as 10 points ahead of second-placed and defending champions Bayern Munich. With just 10 more rounds of matches left in the league this season and Bayer still unbeaten in the league, it is hard to see Bayern catching them now.
Bayer will take on Qarabag away from home in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie on Thursday evening. They won UEFA Europa League Group H with 18 points from six matches and won both their games against Qarabag, who ended up second in the group and entered the playoff round to advance to the Round of 16 stage.
Team News:
Bayer Leverkusen are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Lukas Hradecky will be in goal for the home team. Josip Stanisic, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie will be the three defenders. Jeremie Frimpong, Robert Andrich, Granit Xhaka and Alejandro Grimaldo will be the four midfielders. Patrik Schick will lead the line for Bayer and will have Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann behind him in attacking midfield.
Key Factors to Consider
- Victor Boniface has scored 4 goals and given 1 assist in 5 UEFA Europa League matches for Bayer Leverkusen this season.
- Qarabag have won 2 of their last 6 UEFA Europa League matches.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won their last 6 UEFA Europa League games.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won their last 6 games in all competitions.
- Bayer Leverkusen have not lost a single match in the Bundesliga this season.
Conclusion
Bayer Leverkusen are a force to be reckoned with and are unstoppable at the moment. It is hard to see them slip up against Qarabag even away from home. It is very likely that the German club will register a comfortable win in Azerbaijan.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen to win 3-0
Best Odds: 8/1
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