Qarabag and Shelbourne will lock horns at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Azerbaijan in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League second round qualifying tie. The hosts secured a healthy advantage in the first leg and are looking to complete the double over the visitors.
Qarabag claimed a 3-0 away victory in the first leg, with Leandro Andrade opening the scoring while Oleksii Kashchuk and Nariman Akhundzade were also on target. That result means Gurban Gurbanov’s men have won six of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
The Azerbaijanis will take that solid advantage back to Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, where they often do their best work. They have won their last six home matches in all competitions.
Shelbourne came through the previous round, claiming a 2-1 aggregate win against Linfield. The Reds were then undone by Qarabag in their previous game, although that was their only loss in seven matches in all competitions.
However, Shelbourne are not particularly convincing on their travels and travel to Azerbaijan with just two wins in their last 10 away matches. The good news for Joey O'Brien's men is that one of those wins came in their previous fixture on the road, a 4-0 victory over Fairview Rangers in an FAI Cup clash.
How the bookies view it: Qarabag overwhelming favourites
Qarabag are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies, with BoyleSports offering 2/11 for a home win. A victory for Shelbourne is valued at 14/1 while a draw is set at odds of 6/1.
Head to head: One previous meeting
Last week’s first leg was the only previous meeting between Qarabag and Shelbourne, which ended 3-0 in favour of the Azerbaijanis.
Players to watch: Eyes on Andrade
Cape Verdean midfielder Andrade is the leading man for Qarabag, having scored in their most recent game. He bagged 17 goals last season, and his partnership with Axundzade could see the hosts score more than one goal, with their over 1.5 goals – set at 2/11 on BoyleSports.
For Shelbourne, Mipo Odubeko could be the one to watch having scored in the win over Linfield in the first qualifying round. Together with Harry Wood, they can provide over 0.5 goals for Shelbourne at 10/11 on BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups:
Fabijan Buntic should start in goal for Qarabag, while Behlul Mustafazade and Matheus Silva’s centre-back partnership should continue in defence. Emmanuel Addai gets the nod in midfield, with Axundzade and Andrade in attack.
For Shelbourne, Lorcan Healy should remain in goal as first-choice goalkeeper Conor Kearns is out injured. Paddy Barrett and Kameron Ledwidge should continue in defence, while Odubeko and John should lead the line.
Qarabag: Buntic; Bayramov, Silva, Mustafazade, Bolt; Kady, Addai, Bicalho; Zoubir, Axundzade, Andrade
Shelbourne: Healy; Caffrey, Gannon, Ledwidge, Barrett, Wilson; Wood, Coote, McInroy; Martin, Odubeko
Anything else catch the eye?
Shelbourne have scored in six of their last seven games while Qarabag have scored in nine of their last 10 matches (BTTS YES – available at 20/21 with BoyleSports). The visitors have scored over 2.5 goals in three of their last six matches (Qarabag over 2.5 goals – offered at 8/13).
Qarabag won both halves in the first leg (Qarabag to win both halves – available at 23/10).
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