FK Qarabag vs FK Viktoria Plzen Predictions

• Qarabag are on an unbeaten run of ten home games in European qualifying ties (Won 7 Drawn 3).
• Viktoria Plzen lost away to the New Saints and CSKA Sofia in the Conference League qualifiers last summer.
• Qarabag have not kept a clean sheet in four home games played so far this season.
• Both teams have scored in six of Viktoria Plzen’s seven games in all competitions this term.

Qarabag can quash Plzen in Baku

Qarabag can take first blood in the battle to reach the Champions League group stage when they host Czech champions Viktoria Plzen in Baku – and the game should see both teams score.

The only Azerbaijani club to have ever featured in the competition proper, Qarabag have a better European pedigree than their visitors. Their Uefa coefficient, calculated over the last five years performance, ranks them 70th in the continent right now with Plzen a few places lower at 77th.

To reach this stage, Gurban Gurbanov’s men overturned a 1-0 first-leg defeat at Lech Poznan by beating the Poles 5-1 in the return leg and then ousted FC Zurich 5-4 on aggregate after extra time. Ferencvaros were sent packing courtesy of a 3-1 win in Hungary after a drawn first leg, but the general theme of their four most recent qualifiers was that both teams scored each time.

Both teams to score should land

Plzen entered a round later but have won all four qualifiers this season, beating HJK Helsinki in the second round and last season’s surprise package Sheriff in the third with both teams obliging in three of the four games.  Last season they reached the play-off round in qualifying for the inaugural Conference League, falling apart in a 3-0 second-leg loss to CSKA Sofia that went to extra time after beating the Bulgarians 2-0 in the first game.

Qarabag had beaten the same club 1-0 in a friendly a month before and really should use home advantage to establish a lead here. The hosts have scored at least three goals in five of their last seven home games and rarely keep a clean sheet so a 3-1 correct score play looks to be within the field of possibilities.