Qarabag vs Nantes prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2022-09-14 16:45.
A 4-3 victory over Sabah at the weekend not only strengthened Qarabağ’s grip on top spot in the Azerbaijan Premier League, but also extended their 100% league start to the season (W5). You’d have to go back to October 2021 for Qarabağ’s last domestic loss, though they did taste defeat on UEFA Europa League (UEL) opening day, going down 2-1 against Freiburg.
Despite that group opening defeat, QarabaÄź will hope a return to Baku will bring around a change in results against Nantes seeing as they remain unbeaten in European competition there this term (W2, D2). Yet things may not be that simple for QarabaÄź, who have won just two of their 18 all-time UEL home group stage games (D7, L9) and have never beaten French opposition in eight attempts (D3, L5).
Domestically, the fortunes of these sides have been at opposite ends of the spectrum, with Nantes’ start to their Ligue 1 season (W1, D3, L3) sub-par for the Coupe de France holders. The Canaries’ return to a major European club competition after a 21-year absence did go a little better than Qarabağ’s though, securing a 2-1 victory against Olympiacos on their UEL group stage debut.
An away game does represent a different challenge for a Nantes side who extended their winless league run on the road to eight (D4, L4) with a 3-2 defeat against Lorient on Sunday. In the UEL’s predecessor though, the UEFA Cup, Nantes travelled well, winning five of their previous seven away games in that competition, form they will hope to transfer into the UEL in search of a first away win in UEFA’s second-tier competition since a 3-1 victory against FC Lausanne-Sport back in December 2000!
Players to watch: Like buses, Ramil Sheydayev sees his Qarabağ goals come in two’s, with his last three scoring appearances seeing him net a double. Meanwhile, Evann Guessand struck the decisive goal against Olympiacos, and his two Nantes goals so far have been second-half headers.
Hot streak: QarabaÄź are without a clean sheet in ten UEL home games.