Qarabag vs Eintracht Frankfurt Prediction & Betting Tips (21 January)

Qualified for the first time in its history for the final phase of the Champions League, Qarabag does not have to be ashamed of its record after 6 days. The Azerbaijanis are in fact still in the running to reach the play-offs and they occupy 22nd place in this regular season with 7 points in their pocket. Gurban Gurbanov's men had started quite strongly by winning their first 2 matches against Benfica 2-3 and against FC Copenhagen 2-0 but the rest was more difficult with only one point gleaned during the next 4 days against Bilbao 3-1, Chelsea 2-2, Napoli 2-0 and finally against Ajax 2-4. At the same time, in the championship, Qarabag is in 2nd place in its championship, which is on break this winter, with one point on the leader. To prepare for this meeting, the locals played 2 friendly matches against Neftchi 5-0 victory and Zaglebie to follow. For its part, Eintracht Frankfurt cannot be satisfied with its record after these first 6 days.

The German club, however, got off to a flying start by crushing Galatasaray 5-1 on the first day. But the rest of the events turned sour for the Capricious Diva who lined up 4 defeats and a draw against Atlético Madrid 5-1, Liverpool 1-5, Napoli 0-0, Atalanta 0-3 and FC Barcelona 2-1. Consequently, it finds itself in 31st place in the rankings for this league phase and is 3 points behind the top 24. At the same time, in the Bundesliga, the Eagles are on pace to try to secure a European place. Hanging on to Dortmund 3-3, they will face Stuttgart and Werder Bremen before this long trip to Azerbaijan. 

Long-term injured, midfielder Borges will not play again during this league phase and he has even been removed from the list of players authorized to take part in this competition for the moment. This is also the case for Amin Rzayev and Ramil Sheydayev who are also excluded. Conversely, the Azerbaijanis can rely on the prolific Leandro Andrade who has 6 goals and 2 assists (3 goals in qualifications - 3 goals in the league phase) in this competition. We also find the former Lensois Zoubir (4 goals, 4 assists in the league) and the solid defender Bayramov (7 goals in the league) who is ultimately the most prolific player of this team. Eintracht will make this long trip deprived of the precious scorer Burkardt (8 goals in the Bundesliga) and his replacement at the post Batshuayi who are still on the flank at the moment.

The absent Long-termer Chandler and little-used defender Baum are also forced to throw in the towel this week. Absent last week in the championship, the Tunisian midfielder Skhiri and the Algerian Chaïbi, who played in the CAN with their respective selections, are however expected for this European event. They should strengthen a group where we should also find the Turkish Uzun (6 goals, 3 assists in the Bundesliga), the Japanese Doan (4 goals, 4 assists) and the interesting Knauff (2 goals in the league, 2 in C1) are well operational. We will also undoubtedly find the former Rennais Kalimuendo (Nottingham Forest) unless he could not be included on the list of players authorized to play this C1.