Bayer Leverkusen will look to continue the unbeaten start to the 2023/24 season when they take on Qarabag FK at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
The UEFA Europa League resumes this week with the first knockout stage of the 2023/24 season. The Round of 16 got underway with a rare Wednesday match, with the action on Thursday kicking off with three simultaneous early fixtures, one of which will have Qarabag FK hosting Bayer Leverkusen at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
Qarabag FK and Bayer Leverkusen met in the group stage of this season’s Europa League. Die Werkself finished atop Group H to seal a berth in the Round of 16. On the other hand, the home side finished second after notching up ten points in six games. So, the Horsemen had to go through the knockout playoffs to reach the Last 16.
The Azerbaijani outfit locked horns in an engrossing tie with SC Braga, eking out a narrow 6-5 aggregate win after two legs. Meanwhile, the hosts have been excellent in the last four weeks, losing only once in six outings. As for Bayer Leverkusen, they have been phenomenal under Xabi Alonso, running away with the Bundesliga title while being unbeaten in all competitions.
Bayer Leverkusen won both games against Qarabak in the group stage, clinching a 1-0 victory at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium while cruising to a 5-1 triumph at BayArena. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Qarabag FK
Gurban Gurbanov has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, the Qarabag FK manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
Elvin Jafarguliyev is the latest absentee after seeing red against SC Braga. In addition, Julio Romao will serve a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards. The duo has joined Kevin Medina (knock) on the sidelines.
Andrey Lunev, who joined Qarabag from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, will take his spot between the sticks, with the home side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. The backline should consist of Matheus Silva, Bahlul Mustafazada, Badavi Huseynov, and Toral Bayramov.
As for the midfield unit, Richard Almeyda and Marko Jankovic should pair up in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Yassine Benzia will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Leandro Andrade and Abdellah Zoubir being the two wide attackers. Finally, Juninho should lead the line for Qarabag FK against Bayer Leverkusen.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lunev; Silva, Mustafazada, Huseynov, Bayramov; Almeyda, Jankovic; Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho
Bayer Leverkusen
Unlike his counterpart in the Qarabag FK dugout, Xabi Alonso does not have a new issue to deal with ahead of the trip to the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium. The Bayer Leverkusen manager will be without two first-team players on Thursday.
Arthur (thigh) and Victor Boniface (groin) remain in the treatment room, with the latter being the most notable absentee. Amine Adli should spearhead the away side’s attack in Boniface’s absence, with Borja Iglesias and Patrik Schick missing out.
Adam Hlozek and Florian Wirtz should play the supporting cast to Adli, with Jonas Hofmann being an option on the bench. As for the midfield unit, Granit Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios will resume their solid partnership in the middle of the park.
Matej Kovar will continue his European duties, with captain Lukas Hradecky getting some rest. Bayer Leverkusen will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of Kovar against Qarabag, with Josip Stanisic, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie forming the central defensive unit. Finally, the highly productive duo of Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo should be the two wing-backs.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kovar; Stanisic, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Hlozek, Wirtz; Adli
Key Stats
- Thursday’s match will be the third meeting between Qarabag FK and Bayer Leverkusen, with Die Werkself winning both previous clashes, which came in the group stage earlier this season.
- Qarabag FK are the first-ever Azerbaijani club to reach the Round of 16 of a major UEFA competition. But they have lost two of their last three home games in the Europa League (W1), more than they had in their previous 21 matches at home in all European competition (W10 D10 L1).
- Bayer Leverkusen are on a six-game winning run in the UEFA Europa League this season. The last team to register more consecutive wins in a Europa League campaign were the eventual champions, Villarreal, in 2020/21 (nine).
- Qarabag have lost seven of their eight UEFA competition meetings with Bundesliga clubs (plus a 1-1 draw with Freiburg last season).
- Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in a German record 34 competitive fixtures this season, including six wins from six in the group stage.
Player to Watch
Amine Adli
Victor Boniface’s absence is a crushing blow for Bayer Leverkusen. While the Bundesliga giants remain unbeaten across competitions, Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo have done the bulk of the heavy lifting in the final third. So, the deputy strikers need to step up in the coming weeks to hand Die Werkself multiple trophies.
So, Amine Adli will have the onus on him to deliver the goods in the final third on Thursday. With Patrik Schick and Borja Iglesias breathing down his neck, the 23-year-old needs to consistently make his mark. He will thus look to stamp his authority at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
Prediction
Qarabag FK 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
The hosts will be eager to end their barren run against the unbeaten juggernaut on Thursday. But Gurban Gurbanov’s men have lost two of their last three home games in the UEFA Europa League. So, getting the better of Bayer Leverkusen will be a tall order for Qarabag FK.
As for the visitors, there is no stopping them right now, with Xabi Alonso’s men going from strength to strength. They will realise they have a chance of winning three trophies this season and will not want to squander it. So, expect Bayer Leverkusen to fire on all cylinders, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-0 win for them.
