Today, Qarabag will host Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of the Champions League playoff round.
Idman.biz presents an article about this match from the Russian website soccer365.ru.
"In the first match, Qarabag was uncharacteristically unsuccessful at the end of the attack, and this was the first game of the season in which" horses" failed to score a goal. But it was immediately followed by the second place - in the last round of the Premier League, Gurban Gurbanov's team failed to find a way to the opponent's goal and lost to Turan Tovuz with a score of 0:1. However, all the attention of Qarabag is focused on the home game against Dinamo: despite the three-goal difference, there are still hopes of advancing and the team is extremely determined - Qarabag is used to playing well in front of its fans.
Gurbanov rotated his team in the match against Turan Tovuz. But the main focus of the article is on the support of Qarabag fans: "All the tickets for the match against Dinamo at Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium have been sold - Qarabag will play in front of full stands in the decisive match for the qualification to the autumn stage of the Champions League. The three-goal difference after the first match does not worry the fans, nor Gurbanov, nor his players - everyone hopes to perform a miracle and defeat the Croatian club. "The home ground helped Qarabag most of the time, and even the Croatian press warns that it will be very difficult for Dinamo to cope with the pressure from the stands, and one should not lose concentration in the match against highly motivated Qarabag."
The article talks about Yakirovic's formation in the previous game and shares thoughts on the replay: in the first game against Qarabag, the head coach of Dinamo used a 4-2-3-1 formation, but in the last round of the HNL, Sergey Yakirovic used a formation with three central defenders used. Most likely, in the second leg against Qarabag, Yakirovic will try to strengthen the center of the defense to leave less space for Juninho. Changes in the squad are also possible: in particular, winger Pyatsa, who does not seem quite fit despite scoring the first goal, may remain on the bench. However, there are no serious reasons to change the scheme that worked in the first match, and if necessary, Jakirovic can do it during the match."
Dinamo's defense is not rated so high: "Even in the match in Zagreb, Dinamo's defensive game was not very desirable: in particular, experts were dissatisfied with the defensive actions of the midfielders and the defensive line could not cope with its work. In many ways, Dinamo was lucky that Qarabag, usually extremely productive and efficient, failed to score. The Zagreb club concedes very few goals this season - only two goals in five matches, but it is difficult to call most opponents truly dangerous. In the away game, Sergey Yakirovich's team will have to show maximum concentration in order not to get closer to the goal of Qarabag.
In the general conclusion of the article, it is also noted that Dinamo secured a good advantage with three goals and can play more cautiously in Baku. The home team will have to attack more actively: "The fans in the crowded Tofig Bahramov will give good support to Qarabag. It will be very difficult for the opponent to play under such pressure. The defense of Dinamo was not ideal in the first match, and if the" horses" had been more effective, the advantage of the Croatian club would not have been so great. Qarabag must get rid of an unusual two-game goalless streak at home. If Dinamo loses concentration and becomes too relaxed, "slow horses" will have a chance not only to get victory and European Cup points, but also to take the game to extra time. However, for this, it is necessary not to concede goals, and the defense of Qarabag is very weak.
Prediction for the match: 2:1
Idman.biz
