Preview: FC Twente vs. Qarabag FK - prediction, team news, lineups

Twelve years on from their last competitive meeting, FC Twente and Qarabag FK meet again on Thursday, as both sides bid to secure a positive result in the first leg of the Conference League playoff round at FC Twente Stadion.

Both sides have dropped down into Europe’s third-tier competition from the Europa League, giving them one more shot at continental participation this term.

Match preview

Twente are about a month into their season, and they have already witnessed a whirlwind of emotions in just four weeks of competitive play.

John van den Brom’s men have suffered Europa League disappointment, exiting to Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round, inflicted a 6-0 beating on DAC 1904 in the third qualifying round in the Conference League and have had a mixed start to their Eredivisie season.

Not one to be accused of lacking entertainment, De Tukkers have since played out a 3-3 draw with DAC 1904 and got the better of PEC Zwolle 3-1 the previous weekend to return to winning ways in the top flight after a 1-0 opening-weekend loss to Heerenveen.

Defeating their Zwolle-based opponents marked the Reds’ first win in three, and Van den Brom’s side aim to record consecutive wins for the first time this season.

It is a feat Twente last achieved in March-April this year, when they claimed three 2-1 wins over Fortuna Sittard, Ajax and FC Volendam, but one that supporters will welcome if it gives them a shot at taking something positive to Baku next week.

Gurban Gurbanov’s men will certainly be no pushovers over both matches, considering their defensively stingy nature in Europe so far.

The Horsemen may find themselves in the third tier of continental football, but the Azerbaijani side have let in just one goal across six matches in the qualifying rounds, coming against Dynamo Kyiv in the previous stage; a 1-0 loss they overturned in Baku.

Atilar were eliminated in the Europa League despite not conceding across four matches in the preliminary stages against IF Vestri and CSKA Sofia, only to pay the price for not scoring against the latter in their eventual penalty shoot-out defeat.

After a three-match European run without scoring, Qarabag have since restored confidence with five goals scored across all competitions, beating Dynamo 2-0 and Samaxi in the top flight, notching three against the latter to begin their hunt for a 13th league crown on a high.

Now, they look to snap a four-match winless run against their playoff round opponent to carry an encouraging result into next week’s reverse fixture.

FC Twente Conference League form:

FC Twente form (all competitions):

Qarabag FK Conference League form:

Qarabag FK form (all competitions):

Team News

Stav Lemkin has not played for Twente since their friendly clash with Genk at the start of the month, and the issue that has kept him out of action is expected to prevent the centre-back from featuring on Thursday.

Wout Weghorst may have netted two goals in his first three appearances for the Tukkers, but the forward has now failed to score in his last four matches heading into Thursday, and he aims to snap that unwanted sequence.

The Tukkers can still rely on the trio of attackers behind the towering forward — Marko Pjaca, Daan Rots and Sondre Orjasaeter — to come up trumps if their leading striker fails to sparkle.

They will be needed against a Qarabag side that have kept five clean sheets in six continental fixtures in 2026-27, with Mateusz Kochalski in goal for each one.

Jaly Mouaddib has already scored two match-winning strikes in Europe this season, and a third will be welcome for the 25-year-old Frenchman.

One player missing out is Cebrail Makreckis, who remains suspended after his late sending-off in the 1-0 loss to Dynamo in the first leg of the previous qualifying round.

FC Twente possible starting lineup:

Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Bruns, Propper, Adelgaard; Zerrouki, Weidmann; Pjaca, Rots, Orjasaeter; Weghorst

Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:

Kochalski; Silva, Huseynov, Varkonyi, Langa; Bicalho, Jankovic; Mouaddib, Kady, Lobato; Gurbanli

We say: FC Twente 1-1 Qarabag FK

While the Tukkers will be eager to seize the initiative in front of their home support, their ongoing defensive lapses could leave them exposed against a well-drilled Azerbaijani outfit.

Gurbanov’s side are masters at managing continental knockout ties and their disciplined structure should see them frustrate the hosts to take a valuable draw back to Baku.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.