Preview:Qarabag FK vs Shkendija - prediction, team news, lineups

Qarabag FK will look to complete the job on home soil when they welcome Shkendija on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie.

The hosts secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg away from home, with Toral Bayramov calmly converting an 18th-minute penalty.

Match preview

Qarabag took control of the tie with their third consecutive win without conceding, having previously swept aside Irish side Shelbourne 4-0 on aggregate in the previous round.

The result extended the Azerbaijani champions’ unbeaten run against North Macedonian opposition to six matches, putting them in a strong position to reach the playoff round ahead of the return leg in Baku.

Victory here would send the Horsemen into the playoff stage for the third time in four seasons, though 2017-18 remains the only year they progressed to the group phase.

However, Qarabag’s home record in this competition offers a note of caution — they have lost two of their last three Champions League games in Baku, falling 2-1 to Ludogorets at this stage and 3-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in last season’s qualifying round.

Shkendija are appearing in the third qualifying round for only the second time in their history, and they will hope to finally scale the hurdle, though that will mean producing a top performance on Tuesday.

Their previous attempt ended in a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Red Bull Salzburg in 2018-19, a tie that also began with a 1-0 home loss before a heavy 3-0 reverse on the road.

The North Macedonian champions have battled through a challenging qualifying path — edging past Welsh side The New Saints 2-1 after extra time, then defeating Romanian outfit FCSB 3-1 over two legs.

They began their domestic title defence in style at the weekend, thrashing Shkupi 5-1 at home, but all eyes are now on whether they can bring that attacking spark to Baku.

Qarabag FK Champions League form:

Qarabag FK form (all competitions):

Shkendija Champions League form:

Shkendija form (all competitions):

Team News

Qarabag could restore first-choice goalkeeper Fabijan Buntic for the return leg, though Mateusz Kochalski’s clean sheet in the first meeting gives the manager a selection dilemma.

Bayramov returned to the starting lineup last time out and justified his inclusion with the match-winning goal, while Nariman Akhundzade will again lead the line as the focal point of the attack.

For Shkendija, Besart Ibraimi and Endrit Krasniqi — operating in the centre-forward and attacking midfield roles — were the main threats in the first leg and will be key again here.

Albanian midfielder Kamer Qaka returned from suspension in the last match but was named among the substitutes, and whether he starts this time remains to be seen.

Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:

Buntic; Bayramov, Medina, Mustafazada, Silva; Bicalho, Kady; Andrade, Addai, Zoubir; Akhundzade

Shkendija possible starting lineup:

Gaye; Trumci, Cake, Fetai, Webster; Alhassan, Ramdani; Tamba, Krasniqi, Latifi; Ibraimi

We say: Qarabag FK 1-0 Shkendija

The first leg was pretty much end to end, with Qarabag edging possession, though registering one less shot on target compared to Shkedinja.

However, producing such a performance away from home is why they will be even more confident heading into this return leg at home, and this might see them record another slender win.

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