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

A week after a smash-and-grab win in Enschede, Qarabag FK welcome FC Twente to Baku on Thursday, aiming to come through the Conference League playoff round second leg.

A Kady strike just after the break sealed the slender win for Qurban Qurbanov's side, who will back themselves to advance to the competition proper owing to their stern defensive performances in Europe.

Match preview

Twente were in fine scoring form heading into last week's fixture with Atlilar, but Qurbanov's men held them off at De Grolsch Veste, claiming a commendable 1-0 success.

Despite conceding 21 shots, a deeper look into the numbers shows that nine of the Dutch side's attempts were from outside the penalty area, pointing to a significant number of speculative attempts.

While Martin Zlomislic was admittedly called upon to make a few notable saves, the team's broader structure gave the Horsemen a solid foundation en route to the praiseworthy triumph.

Strikingly, Qarabag's clean sheet marked their sixth in seven matches across Europa League and Conference League preliminary fixtures, a statistic that boosts supporters ahead of Thursday's encounter at Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.

Atlilar have conceded just one goal on their turf in four competitive matches this term, further strengthening their belief as Twente visit Baku.

Indeed, John van den Brom must have been disappointed after seeing his side fail to break down a stubborn Qarabag wall.

Although they scored on that occasion, last week's defeat bore similarities to Twente's reverse against Ferencvaros in the Europa League second qualifying round first leg, when 18 shots were accumulated, but 50% of them were effectively speculative.

Scoring six and three in 6-0 and 3-0 wins over DAC 1904 and PEC Zwolle in their following two home matches lifted the mood in Enschede; however, De Tukkers were brought back to earth after last week's reverse.

They now strive to overturn the disappointment on home soil against an opponent whose defensive meanness poses an uphill challenge to their European ambitions.

Having already missed out on Europa League involvement, failure to match last week's result or overturn the deficit would rule them out of continental football for the season entirely, adding to the fascination before Thursday's meeting.

Qarabag FK Conference League form:

Qarabag FK form (all competitions):

FC Twente Conference League form:

FC Twente form (all competitions):

Team News

Qarabag do not seem to have any injury worries, giving Qurbanov a healthy squad for their decisive clash with Twente in Baku.

Kady's strike last week was his first in three Conference League qualifying games, and he seeks goals in consecutive matches for the first time this season.

The visitors ideally ought to rely on Wout Weghorst, Sondre Orjasaeter, Marko Pjaca and Daan Rots; however, all four failed to make their mark in the reverse fixture on home turf, with Weghorst attempting zero shots before his early withdrawal on the hour.

The visitors are without the injured and ineligible Stav Lemkin, while Issam El Maach, Mees Hilgers and Gijs Besselink are not part of the Reds squad for their trip to Baku.

Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:

Zlomislic; Silva, Huseynov, Varkonyi, Langa; Lobato, Jankovic; Kashchuk, Kady, Mouaddib; Qurbanli

FC Twente possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Qarabag FK 1-0 FC Twente (Qarabag FK win 2-0 on aggregate)

Although Twente will undoubtedly commit bodies forward in a desperate bid to overturn the first-leg deficit, penetrating Qarabag's notoriously stingy rearguard in Baku represents a daunting task.

With the Horsemen boasting six clean sheets in seven European fixtures this term, Qurbanov's well-drilled outfit should absorb the pressure and catch the Dutch side on the counter to seal their place in the league phase.

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