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Athletic Club and Qarabag return to action in the UEFA Champions League when they lock horns at the San Mames Stadium on Wednesday. Both sides have kicked off the campaign with contrasting form, with the Azerbaijan outfit looking to continue their 100% record in the competition.
Athletic Club failed to pick up consecutive wins for the first time since August as they played out a goalless draw with Elche in their La Liga clash at the weekend.
Before that, Ernesto Valverde’s side picked up a hard-earned 2-1 victory over 10-man Mallorca on October 4, a result which saw their seven-game winless run (6L, 1D) come to an end.
Athletic Club now return to the Champions League, where they have lost their opening two games, suffering a 2-0 opening-day defeat against Arsenal on September 16, two weeks before losing 4-1 at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
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In stark contrast, it has been a sensational start to the Champions League campaign for Qarabag, who are one of just six sides with a 100% record after the first two matches.
Making their first UCL outing since 2018, Gurban Gurbanov’s men kicked off their European journey with a 3-2 victory over Benfica on September 16, two weeks before beating Copenhagen 2-0 on home turf.
Qarabag head into Wednesday off the back of picking up a sixth win on the bounce at the weekend as they edged out Turan Tovuz 2-1 in the Azerbaijan Premier League, where they currently sit top of the table with 16 points from seven games.
Athletic Club vs Qarabag Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the very first meeting between Athletic Club vs Qarabag, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the tie as they both look to begin their rivalry on a positive note.
- Qarabag have won all but one of their last eight matches in all competitions, with a 1-1 draw against Zira on September 12 being the exception.
- Athletic Club have failed to win seven of their eight games this season, losing five and claiming two draws so far.
- Qarabag have won each of their last eight competitive away matches, stretching back to a 1-1 draw against Sabah on April 27.
Athletic Club vs Qarabag Prediction
With two wins from their first two UCL games, Qarabag are proving they can do it against Europe’s biggest clubs and will be backing themselves against an out-of-sorts Athletic Club.
However, given the gulf in quality and experience between the two teams, we are backing Valverde’s men to secure maximum points at the San Mames Stadium.
Prediction: Athletic Club 2-1 Qarabag
Athletic Club vs Qarabag Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Athletic Club to win
Tip 2: Over 10.5 corners - No (There have been fewer than 11 corner kicks in four of Athletic Club’s last five games)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in five of the hosts’ last seven games)
