Qarabag Fk will host Chelsea on Wednesday in Champions League match after suffering a humiliating 6-0 in their Champions League debut game in London. However, the Azerbaijan champions have progressed well as Qarabag FK had denied Atletico Madrid the maximum points on two occasions. The Horsemen head into the match at the backdrop of recording three consecutive victories in their domestic league with the latest one being the 2-0 win over Sumquyit on Friday.
Chelsea travels to Azerbaijan full of the memory of the 3-0 thumping they suffered at the hands of AS Roma in their last European journey.
The Blues are currently in the second spot in Group C and could go on top with a win over Qarabag FK if Atletico Madrid denies AS Roma the maximum points in the other group match. The West Londoners are fresh from the 4-0 win that they handed West Bromwich Albion in Premier League at the Hawthorns Stadium on Saturday.
Talking points
- Qarabag FK is the first Azerbaijan team ever to take part in Champions League. However, the Horsemen have never recorded a victory in the competition, but they remain contented with two draws they managed in their last two European matches.
- Qarabag FK has shown a significant improvement in Champions League since suffering the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea with Gurban Gurbanov men only losing 2-1 to Italian giants, AS Roma. The apex of Azerbaijan champions improvement in the competition was evident when Qarabag denied European giants, Atletico Madrid victories on two occasions.
- The last six Champions League matches that Chelsea has played have witnessed high-scoring with each game realizing at least a total of three goals. The latest match being the 3-0 misery that AS Roma inflicted on the Blues in Italy.
- Qarabag FK last three matches in Champions League have both the Horsemen and their opponents find the back of the net. Qarabag FK lost 2-1 at AS Roma before recording 1-1 draws twice against Atletico Madrid.
- Chelsea has failed to realized victory in their last two Champions League games. The Blues drew 3-3 with AS Roma in London before losing 3-0 to the Italian club a fortnight later.
Team news
The match comes too early for Badavi Guseinov and Tarik Elyounuossi who will watch from the stand as their teammates welcome Chelsea due to the injuries they're nursing.
However, Mahir Matadov who has a slight injury could pass the fitness test to feature against the Londoners.
Qarabag FK has been boosted by the return of Dino Ndlovu who missed the second leg contest against Atletico Madrid in Spain following the two yellow cards he received in the first leg of the same game. Ibrahim Sehic who was sent off in the weekend 2-0 win over Samqayit is available for European duties, but Pedro Henrique will stay out of the match with a suspension.
Antonio Conte will miss Victor Moses and Michy Batshuayi for the journey to Azerbaijan with the duo suffering from various forms of injuries. The manager could field a strong side to ensure that his team gets the maximum points, but he can include David Luiz who has missed Chelsea's recent matches.
Predictions
The hosts have a mathematical chance of making it to the knockout stage if they beat Chelsea while Atletico Madrid loses to AS Roma.
The progress is however very complicated as the Horsemen would later expect Atletico Madrid to beat Chelsea as Qarabag FK prevails over AS Roma. Also, there's a consolation prize for entering in Europa League if Qarabag FK finishes third in the group.
Antonio Conte will try with all his ability to record a win against Qarabag FK given that the Blues cannot rely on their last group match where they'll be hosting the challenging Atletico Madrid. A win for Chelsea and a loss for AS Roma will send the Blues top in the group. Chelsea will win with ease scoring at least three goals, but the hosts may fail to get on the scoresheet as they've done in the previous three matches in the competition.
Full-time prediction: Qarabag FK 0-4 Chelsea
