Lech Poznan and Azeri club Qarabag FK will meet at Stadion Miejski Poznan for the opening leg of their first qualifying round tie as they begin their quest for a place in next season’s Champions League group stage with kickoff at 9 pm.
Qarabag FK have established themselves as one of the most successful Azerbaijani football clubs by participating in 18 editions of UEFA club competitions, including seven seasons in the Champions League, 13 in the UEFA Cup or Europa League and two in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
As the first Azerbaijani team to advance to the group stage of the Champions League, when they made it there during the 2017-18 season, Qarabag’s quest to replicate that achievement starts in early July with a trip to Poznan.
The club managed by long-serving coach Gurban Gurbanov spent last season taking part in their inaugural Europa Conference League where they impressed in Group H by picking up three victories and suffering just a single defeat.
As a result, Qarabag finished second behind Basel but were then thumped 6-1 on aggregate by Marseille in the subsequent playoffs for the tournament’s last 16.
Contrastingly, Lech Poznan have lost two of their last three warm-up games since reconvening on June 24th, including a 2-1 loss to Jagiellonia Bialystok last Tuesday.
Lech Poznan vs Qarabag Head to Head
Both sides have yet to face against each other and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Lech Poznan 2-1 Bialystok
- Poznan 0-1 Pogon
- Poznan 1-2 Widzew
- Lubin 1-2 Poznan
Away
- Qarabag 1-1 Craiova
- Kiel 2-2 Qarabag
- FC Botosani 0-4 Qarabag
- Zira FK 1-1 Qarabag
Lech Boznan Team News
Forward Jakub Kaminski has already left to join Wolfsburg, but Lech Poznan will also be without Czech midfielder Jan Sykora, who is expected to complete a permanent move to Viktoria Plzen in the coming days. The newly-acquired Heorhiy Tsitaishvili, on loan from Dynamo Kyiv, is also unavailable but forward Tomasz Brzyski will return after completing his suspension against Legia Warsaw.
Qarabag Team News
Meanwhile, Qarabag’s challenge will be led by Brazilian forward Kady, who was the club’s joint-top scorer last term. Croatia-born Azerbaijan international Filip Ozobic will hope his free-kick goal in the recent friendly with Universitatea Craiova earns him a place in the visitors’ midfield.
Prediction and Odds
Both teams bring a goal threat, and as domestic champions, they are used to taking the initiative. Lech Poznan are eager to get off to a winning start under their new manager.
- Home Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 2.5
