The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Europa League between Qarabag (Azerbaijan) and FCSB (Romania) will take place on January 23 at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku. Qarabag vs. FCSB: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 28;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 17%.
Predicted lineups for Qarabag vs. FCSB
Qarabag (4-2-1-3): Mateusz Kochalski – Badavi Guseynov, Elvin Jafarguliyev, Mateus Silva, Marko Vesovic – Marko Jankovic, Julio Romao – Yassine Benzia – Abdellah Zoubir, Juninho, Aleksey Kashchuk.
FCSB (4-2-3-1): Stefan Tarnovanu – Risto Radunovic, Mihai Popescu, Vlad Chiriches, Valentin Cretu – Adrian Sut, Joyskim Dawa – Florin Tanase, Darius Olaru, David Miculescu – Daniel Popa.
The starting lineup for each team in their previous match in this tournament.
Qarabag
Gurban Gurbanov's side suffered a 0-1 defeat away to Elfsborg in the last round. This loss marked Qarabag's sixth defeat in their last seven Europa League matches, with the team failing to score for the third time in the current tournament. In the standings, the Azerbaijanis are in 33rd place with three points, and a loss would eliminate their chances of advancing to the playoffs.
- The club has not won in regular time in their last five home matches in the Europa League (1 draw, 4 losses).
- At least three goals have been scored in 90 minutes in 5 of their last 6 home encounters in this European competition.
- The Azerbaijanis have conceded at least two goals in regular time in their last five home games in the Europa League.
FCSB
In the last round, Elias Charalambous' side drew 0-0 away to Hoffenheim. As a result, FCSB has not lost in 7 of their last 8 Europa League matches (4 wins, 3 draws). Additionally, the club has kept a clean sheet in three consecutive matches in this European competition. The Romanians have 11 points and sit in tenth place in the standings. A victory will secure their place in the playoffs.
Midfielder Darius Olaru will miss the match due to injury.
- The team has not lost in regular time in 7 of their last 8 away matches in the Europa League (4 wins, 3 draws).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 90 minutes in 5 of their last 7 away games in this European competition.
- The Romanians have not scored in the second half in 5 of their last 6 away matches in the Europa League.
Qarabag vs. FCSB: Match Prediction
At home, the Azerbaijanis rarely delight fans with high-scoring performances in attack. While Qarabag scores quite regularly, they seldom exceed the one-goal mark: in seven of their last nine home Europa League matches, the club has not scored more than once. Furthermore, in three home games in the current tournament, the team has scored only two goals in total.
FCSB also cannot boast an impressive offensive display, especially in away games: in 6 of their last 7 away Europa League matches, the club has not scored more than once. Moreover, in their last two away encounters in this European competition, the Romanians failed to score at all. However, the team is solid defensively: in 7 of their last 9 away Europa League games, FCSB has conceded a maximum of one goal.
I do not expect a high-scoring game in this matchup, so my prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
