Today will be another exciting day for Azerbaijani football fans. "Qarabağ" will face Germany's "Eintracht" (Frankfurt) club in the VII round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
The match, which will be held at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, will start at 21:45.
The head referee of the match will be Swiss Sandro Schärer.
Modern.az reports that Azerbaijani champion “Qarabağ” is currently in 25th place in the Champions League standings with 7 points. The Frankfurt representative is in 33rd place with 4 points.
"Qarabağ" also surpasses its German opponent in other indicators. Thus, “Eintracht” managed to win only one of its 6 matches in the Champions League – against “Galatasaray” with a score of “5:1”. The match against “Napoli” ended in a “0:0” draw. The Germans lost to “Atletico” and “Liverpool” 1:5, to “Barcelona” 1:2, and to “Atalanta” 0:3.
“The Galloping Horses” won two of their 6 matches. Our team defeated “Benfica” away 3:2, and "Copenhagen" at home 2:0. “Qarabağ” lost to “Athletic Bilbao” 1:3, to “Napoli” 0:2, and to “Ajax” 2:4. In the match against “Chelsea”, no winner was determined - 2:2.
Looking at the overall picture, “Qarabağ” appears superior to “Eintracht” with 2 victories. At the same time, “Qarabağ” is also superior in rankings. If we compare passing accuracy, “Qarabağ” again comes to the forefront. Thus, “Qarabağ”'s passing accuracy is 81.67%, while “Eintracht”'s passing accuracy is 79.84%.
Difference in domestic championships: factor of quality and depth
The difference between the domestic championships represented by the clubs should also not be overlooked. The Bundesliga is one of Europe's TOP-5 leagues. “Eintracht” competes every week with high-level opponents such as “Bayer”, “Borussia”, “Leipzig”, "Bayern", "Werder". This increases the team's game tempo, physical preparation, and tactical flexibility.
“Qarabağ”, on the other hand, is a clear dominant in the Azerbaijan Premier League. While this superiority in the local championship allows the team to comfortably establish its playing style, differences in terms of speed and pressure are immediately felt at the European level. Nevertheless, it is precisely this comfort that gives “Qarabağ” the chance to prepare for European matches more systematically and specifically.
Playing styles: clashing philosophies
“Eintracht”'s main weapons are high pressing, fast wing attacks, and transition play. This model, combining German discipline with Latin dynamism, will be a serious test for “Qarabağ”'s defense.
“Qarabağ”, on the other hand, is a team that likes to control the ball, trying to break down the opponent with short passes and positional attacks. The main question here arises: will the Aghdam club be able to maintain balance against the German representative's fast counter-attacks?
What is expected?
The realistic goal for the German club is to secure points away from home.
However, “Qarabağ”'s psychological advantage in home games, the atmosphere in the stands, and the team's many years of experience could make this game more difficult for the Germans than expected. The most realistic scenario is a tense and tactical struggle, resulting in a minimal score.
Finally, it should be noted that considering “Qarabağ”'s statistical superiority, as well as the fact that the game is being played at “home”, our team's probability of winning is considerably high.
