Qarabag (Aze) vs D. Zagreb (Cro) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2024-08-27 16:45.
[p]All may appear lost for Qarabağ on the continental front after they came away from the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off against Dinamo Zagreb with a three-goal deficit. Whilst Qarabağ have never won a two-legged UEFA tie after sustaining a 2+ goal defeat in either leg, some play-off round home performances in years gone by should inspire them to make history at the Azersun Arena.[/p]
[p]Not since 2013/14 have Qarabağ lost the home leg of a play-off round in any UEFA competition (W6, D3), with perhaps the most pertinent example as far as this tie is concerned occurring during the 2016/17 Europa League, when an away loss was overturned with a 3-0 triumph at home. The task that lies ahead is gigantic, but a pair of big home wins against Lincoln Red Imps (5-0) and Azerbaijan basement dwellers Kapaz (3-0) already this season at least shows they’re capable [/p]
[p]Dinamo Zagreb certainly won’t be taking it easy just yet, especially after suffering defeat in last season’s Europa League play-off round, where they took a 3-1 advantage to Prague only to lose 4-1 to Sparta. That was confirmed immediately after the win over Qarabağ by Dinamo head coach Sergej Jakirović, who cautioned his players “to be smarter than last year” in reference to that very tie. [/p]
[p]Jakirović also hinted the result was flattering to his team, describing the game as a “struggle” in the first 60 minutes. The boss was credited with some smart tactical substitutions and changes at that point that preceded the final two goals, and with that momentum, as well as an unbeaten record against Azerbaijani sides (W3, D2) it would be a monumental blunder if Dinamo were to squander this tie.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Free-scoring Juninho has scored in four of Qarabağs five European ties so far this season, so Zagreb being the only side to stop his scoring in the Champions League this term, he could again present a threat. Following his match opener in the first leg, Dinamo’s Marko Pjaca has notched up an impressive ten goals from his last 19 UEFA fixtures. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Ten of Qarabağ’s last 11 UEFA fixtures produced over 2.5 total goals. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]