Qarabag vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview
Bayer Leverkusen, renowned for their exceptional performance, are set to encounter Qarabag in the first leg of the round of 16 Europa League fixture at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku on Thursday. The German outfit, commonly referred to as Die Werkself, enters this encounter as the clear favorites, boasting an impressive record of 34 consecutive matches without defeat across all competitions during the ongoing season.
Under the management of Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen has garnered significant attention with their remarkable unbeaten streak since the commencement of the 2023-24 campaign. The team currently leads the Bundesliga standings, has progressed to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal cup, and has smoothly advanced to the knockout phase of the Europa League by securing victories in all six group stage matches.
Notably, two of Bayer Leverkusen’s victories in the group stage were against Qarabag, who also competed in Group H. Leverkusen secured a comprehensive 5-1 win on their home turf, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory in the away fixture. Qarabag, finishing second in the group, emerged victorious against Braga with a 6-5 aggregate score in the knockout round play-offs. The Azerbaijani side, known as The Horsemen, claimed a convincing 4-2 triumph in Portugal before succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at home. However, due to their superior aggregate score, they advanced to the round of 16.
Subsequent to their encounter with Bayer Leverkusen, Gurban Gurbanov’s team has secured victories in their next three matches, all within the Azerbaijan Premier League. Qarabag has consolidated their position at the summit of the league table, amassing 60 points from 25 matches, holding a commanding lead of at least 23 points over any other contender.
Qarabag vs Bayer Leverkusen Team News and Predicted Lineups
Qarabag
Qarabag FC will be without the services of Kevin Medina due to injury for their upcoming fixture. The center-back has been sidelined since November of the previous year, with no confirmed date for his return. Richard Almeida, who was suspended due to a red card in their previous match against Braga, will be available for selection. However, left-back Elvin Cafarquliyev will be absent from the encounter due to disciplinary reasons stemming from their recent Europa League fixture.
Predicted XI: Andrey Lunev; Marko Vesovic, Behlul Mustafazada, Abbas Huseynov, Elvin Cafarguliyev; Júlio Romão, Marko Janković; Leandro Andrade, Yassine Benzia, Abdellah Zoubir; Juninho
Bayer Leverkusen
The Werkself team will face the absence of Arthur due to a muscle injury, while Victor Boniface remains sidelined with an adductor issue and is anticipated to return in April. In the absence of Boniface, Patrik Schick will persist as the primary attacking force for the visiting team. Jeremie Frimpong, who has scored in three of their previous four matches across various competitions, is expected to be included in the starting lineup once again, providing additional offensive prowess to their roster.
Predicted XI: Lukas Hradecky; Josip Stanisic, Jonathan Tah, Piero Hincapie; Jeremie Frimpong, Robert Andrich, Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo; Jonas Hofmann, Florian Wirtz; Patrick Schick
Qarabag vs Bayer Leverkusen Head-To-Head
There have been merely two confrontations between the opposing factions hitherto. Both instances occurred during the ongoing season within the group phase of the Europa League, with Leverkusen emerging victorious in both encounters.
The scorelines were as follows:
- Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Qarabag (October 2023, Europa League)
- Qarabag 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen (November 2023, Europa League)
Leverkusen exhibited dominance in the initial clash. Goals from Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface, and Edmond Tapsoba, complemented by a brace from Alex Grimaldo, secured the triumph for the Bundesliga contingent. Although Toral Bayramov managed to equalize for Qarabag subsequent to Wirtz’s opening goal, it merely spurred Leverkusen further. In the subsequent encounter, the Azeri side presented a sterner challenge and were on the verge of securing a draw. However, Victor Boniface shattered Qarabag’s hopes with a decisive penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time, securing a victory for Leverkusen.