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Olimpija will welcome Qarabag to the Stožice Stadium in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League playoffs on Thursday.
The hosts kicked off their European campaign in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League last month. They were eliminated from the third round by Galatasaray, suffering a 4-0 defeat on aggregate, and will now try their luck in the Europa League.
The visitors also began their European campaign in the Champions League qualifiers. They were eliminated from the second round itself, suffering a 4-3 defeat to Rakow. They booked a place in the Europa League playoffs with a 4-2 win over HJK in the third qualifying round.
The hosts recorded a 5-4 win in the Prva Liga on Saturday while the visitors made it four wins in a row in all competitions on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Araz Nacxivan in the Azerbaijan Premier League.
Olimpija vs Qarabag Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met twice thus far, with the two meetings coming in the first qualifying round of the Champions League 2018-19 campaign. The visitors have an unbeaten record in these meetings with an away win and a draw.
- Both meetings produced fewer than 2.5 goals, with the visitors keeping clean sheets in both games and scoring just one goal.
- The hosts have won four of their five home games this season while scoring at least two goals in these wins as well. They failed to score in their only defeat at home.
- The visitors have won four games in a row and have scored more than two goals apiece in each of these wins. They have suffered a couple of defeats and recorded a couple of wins in their last four away games.
Olimpija vs Qarabag Prediction
The Dragons head into the match in decent form, suffering just a couple of defeats in their last seven games, with both defeats coming against Galatasaray in the Champions League qualifiers. They have won four of their five home games this season and should be hopeful of a positive outcome.
The Horsemen have won their last four games and will look to make it five wins in a row. They have two wins and one defeat in the three away games in European qualifiers thus far, scoring two goals apiece in these games, and should be able to find the back of the net with ease.
The hosts have made it to the playoffs of the Europa League for just the second time in history, so nerves might get to them here. The visitors have played in the group stage of European competitions in the last nine seasons, making it to the main event through the qualifying rounds each time. That experience will come in handy in this match.
Considering the visitors' better form and record in European qualifiers, we expect them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Olimpija 1-2 Qarabag
Olimpija vs Qarabag Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Qarabag to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Abdellah Zoubir to score or assist any time - Yes
