In the final round of the UEFA Champions League league phase, England’s Liverpool will host Qarabag at Anfield.
This match is one of the most talked-about fixtures in European media, and the reason is simple: Qarabag. The Azerbaijani side have already beaten 38-time Portuguese champions Benfica, taken points from English giants Chelsea, and edged Eintracht Frankfurt with a last-second goal despite refereeing controversies.
Liverpool’s situation is far from ideal. The team approach the game after a 2:3 defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League. In the Champions League, however, Liverpool strengthened their push for a top-eight finish with a convincing 3:0 away win over Marseille. The clash with Qarabag carries major significance, as a victory could secure a place in the top eight, while a draw would leave Liverpool dependent on other results.
At the same time, the English club face serious difficulties due to injuries in both defense and attack. Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Federico Chiesa and Alexander Isak are sidelined, while Ibrahima Konate is also unavailable due to family reasons.
Qarabag, meanwhile, are not merely participants in this season’s Champions League. The club sit 18th in the standings and, with a positive result, could advance to the playoff stage, which would be a historic achievement. The dramatic late victory over Eintracht Frankfurt has kept those ambitions alive.
Head coach Gurban Gurbanov carefully managed his squad in the recent domestic match against Kapaz, preserving the strength of his starting lineup and avoiding potential injuries. Of the players who featured against Eintracht, only five came on as substitutes: Elvin Jafarguliyev, Marko Jankovic, Leandro Andrade and Kamilo Duran entered the game in the 62nd minute, while Pedro Bicalho replaced Addai in the 82nd.
Qarabag have no injury concerns. Although Badavi Huseynov was forced off in the match against Kapaz, the club’s communications director Anar Hajiyev told Idman.Biz that there is no serious problem and that doctors have confirmed everything is fine.
In recent days, European media have also focused on Qarabag’s Colombian forward Kamilo Duran, who scored twice in the previous round. Reports suggest that Liverpool could suffer against him, especially given the injury problems among their attacking players.
The UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool and Qarabag will kick off today at 23:59 Baku time.
@idman.biz UEFA Çempionlar Liqasının liqa mərhələsində son turun oyununda İngiltərənin “Liverpul” klubu doğma meydanda “Qarabağ” komandasını qəbul edəcək. Bu qarşılaşma Avropa mediasında ən çox diqqət çəkən oyunlardan biridir. Səbəb isə sadədir – “Qarabağ”. Hansı ki, 38 dəfə Portuqaliya çempionu olmuş “Benfika” kimi güclü komandaya qələbə çalıb, İngiltərə nəhəngi “Çelsi”dən xal qoparıb, hakim səhvlərinə baxmayaraq “Ayntraxt”ı son saniyələrdə vurduğu qolla çökdürüb. #futbol⚽️ #uefachampionsleague #qarabağfk #qarabagfk ♬ оригинальный звук - Idman və Biz
