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

After suffering a defeat in the first Group H match in the Europa League, Hacken will be hoping to get some points on the board when they host Qarabag FK on Thursday.

The visitors did pick up three points in gameweek one and they have the chance to maintain their position in the top two with another victory this week.

Match preview

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Hacken were given a difficult start to their Group H journey in gameweek one when they faced Bayer Leverkusen, suffering a 4-0 defeat with two goals being conceded in each half.

There were few positives to take from the match for the Swedish outfit, but considering it is still the early stages of the competition there is plenty of time to turn things around.

A victory this week would potentially place Per-Mathias Hogmo's team in the top two of the group, which would be a positive start overall.

Hacken should come into the game with confidence due to the impressive displays they have been putting on in the Allsvenskan, with the club currently third in the table.

Hogmo's men also head into Thursday on the back of consecutive victories in all competitions, with Edward Chilufya scoring a brace at the weekend to give his team a 2-0 win.

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However, the visitors are also in a good spell of form having gone four matches without a defeat, scoring 10 goals in the process to showcase their attacking qualities.

One of those wins happened to be against Molde in the Europa League, which provided Qarabag FK the perfect start to the group stage of this competition.

While they trail Bayern Leverkusen in the table, it is only goal difference separating them, which is something they will be aiming to change this week.

Leandro Andrade scored the only goal of their previous Europa League fixture, and the fact they were able to hold out with a clean sheet showcased their strong defensive setup.

That is something that Gurban Gurbanov has been pushing from his men, which is reflected in the fact they have only conceded six goals in the Azerbaijan Premier League.

Team News

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Filip Trpcevski and forward Blair Turgott, have both been on the sidelines as of late for Hacken, and it is expected that will be the case again in midweek.

Chilufya is expected to lead the line for the hosts after bagging a brace during their most recent outing, as he now looks to open his account in the Europa League.

For the visitors, it could be an unchanged starting XI from the team that picked up a 5-0 win at the weekend as they aim to maintain their recent run of form.

However, Qarabag FK have been without Marko Vesovic and Abbas Huseynov as of late due to injury, with both men set to be unavailable once again this time.

Hacken possible starting lineup:

Abrahamsson; Sanberg, Ousou, Hovland, Fridriksson; Rygaard, Gustafson, Romeo; Layouni, Sonko, Chilufya

Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:

Ramazanov; Bayramov, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Jankovic, Romao; Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho

We say: Hacken 1-2 Qarabag FK

Hacken had a tough start to their Europa League campaign during the opening gameweek, and while they are playing at home this time it could still be tough for them to pick up any points.

Qarabag FK have been strong in all competitions so far, and with their impressive defensive displays, they should be able to hold out and take three points.

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