Lyon have blown hot and cold so far in the UEFA Europa League and it will be interesting to see how the French side cope with this tricky trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag.
Pierre Sage's troops looked like potential dark horses for the tournament when they kicked off the campaign by beating Olympiakos at home then outclassing Rangers at Ibrox.
That laid the foundation for automatic qualification for the last 16 but Lyon then lost 1-0 at home to Besiktas, busting the coupon of our man Gabriel and plenty of other punters.
They could only follow it up with a 2-2 draw on the road against Hoffenheim so Sage will be desperate to get back on track with a win against Qarabag.
A long trek to Azerbaijan isn't ideal but Qarabag have already lost at home to Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb, Malmo and Ajax in Europe this season.
That suggests Gurban Gurbanov's side will have to raise their game to stand a chance, although they did beat Bodo/Glimt 2-1 in Norway last time out to get off the mark.
How the bookies view it: No home comfort for Qarabag
With Qarabag's home form so poor in Europe this season, it's not a big surprise to see them as Betano's 12/5 outsiders. Lyon are 10/11 favourites and the draw pays 11/4.
Head to head: French lessons
These sides have never played each other in Europe before but Qarabag's record against French opposition isn't great. Across 10 games, they've claimed just one victory and lost six times, with the other three matches ending level.
Players to watch: Juninho the Euro talisman
Qarabag will be pinning their hopes on some Brazilian magic from star man Juninho. The forward has netted seven times in 10 European appearances this season and is 8/5 at Betano for anytime scorer.
Sage has rotated his squad a bit for European games this season and might rest a few big hitters here ahead of a big domestic game against Nice. Georges Mikautadze could get the nod up front ahead of veteran Alexandre Lacazette and the Georgian is 8/5 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Keeper Amin Ramazanov remains sidelined for Qarabag while Lyon are without Mahamadou Diawara. But Sage could make a few changes to his side ahead of that Ligue 1 clash with Nice.
Qarabag: Kochalski, Huseynov, Huseynov, Medina, Bayramov, Patrick, Jankovic, Kashchuk, Zoubir, Addai, Juninho
Lyon: Perri, Mata, Omari, Car, Mata, Kumbedi, Tessmann, Caqueret, Cherki, Benrahma, Mikautadze.
Anything else catch the eye?
If Lyon are at their best they should be too strong for Qarabag and combining a win for the French side with over 1.5 goals pays 6/5 in a bet builder at Betano.
Although Qarabag have lost their last four at home in Europe, they haven't been beaten on the corner count in any of those games. That suggests backing the home side at +1 in the corner handicap could pay off here at 20/21 with Bet365.
A lack of discipline cost Qarabag when they lost at home to Ajax, with two red cards and five yellows picked up. I've yet to see any prices for cards yet but going for a high number of booking points could pay off here.
This UEFA Europa League match between Qarabag and Lyon will be played on Nov 28, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Qarabag vs Lyon prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
