Matchday 6 of the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League group stage between Elfsborg (Sweden) and Qarabag (Azerbaijan) will take place on December 12 at the Boras Arena. Elfsborg vs. Qarabag: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Antonio Carvalho Nobre (Portugal)
Matches – 10 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 50%.
Predicted lineups for Elfsborg vs. Qarabag
Elfsborg (3-4-3): Isak Pettersson – Gustav Henriksson, Ibrahim Buhari, Sebastian Holmen – Niklas Hult, Andri Baldursson, Besfort Zeneli, Simon Hedlund – Arber Zeneli, Michael Baidoo, Ahmed Qasem.
Qarabag (4-2-1-3): Mateusz Kochalski – Toral Bayramov, Kevin Medina, Behlul Mustafazade, Marko Vesovic – Marko Jankovic, Patrick Andrade – Yassine Benzia – Abdellah Zoubir, Juninho, Aleksey Kashchuk.
The starting lineup for each team in their previous match in this tournament is indicated.
Elfsborg
The defeat against Athletic (0-3) in the last round of the Europa League ended Oscar Hiljemark's side's four-match scoring streak in this tournament. Over five group stage matches, the team has secured only one victory (1 draw, 3 losses). Ahead of Matchday 6, Elfsborg is in 28th place, just one point behind the playoff zone. Notably, the club has conceded 11 goals (only four teams have a worse record).
- Elfsborg has not conceded more than one goal in regular time in their last 13 home games in the Europa League.
- The club has not lost in 90 minutes in 10 of their last 11 matches at Boras Arena in this tournament (8 wins, 2 draws).
- At least one team failed to score in regular time in 5 of Elfsborg's last 6 home matches in the Europa League.
Qarabag
In Matchday 5, the team lost to Lyon (1-4). This defeat marked the fourth loss for Gurban Gurbanov's side in this tournament. Notably, Qarabag has not drawn a single game in the group stage, with the only respite for Azerbaijani fans being the victory over Bodo/Glimt (2-1). The club is in 32nd place in the standings, trailing the playoff zone by 2 points.
- At least three goals have been scored in Qarabag's last 6 away matches in the Europa League.
- The club scored at least twice in 4 of their last 5 away games in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Qarabag's last 6 away matches in the Europa League.
Elfsborg vs. Qarabag: Match Prediction
The Swedish club plays very defensively in the Europa League at home, which affects the goal tally in Elfsborg's matches – no more than three goals have been scored in regular time in their last 8 home matches in this tournament. During this period, the club's solid defense neutralized the attacks of Roma (1-0) and Braga (1-1).
Qarabag has not been particularly convincing in this season's Europa League. Gurban Gurbanov's side has scored only 4 goals in 5 group stage matches. Moreover, no more than three goals were scored in 4 of the last 5 matches involving the Azerbaijani team in this tournament.
It is also important to note the close standings of the opponents – both clubs are in the lower part of the table, making each point valuable. I believe that both teams will play very cautiously in the upcoming match. My prediction: Total under 3.5 goals
