Dutch giants Ajax Travel to Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium to face off against the Azerbaijani champions Qarabag FK in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

While Ajax have collected four points from the first two games of the league phase of the competition, their opponents Qarabag have not yet picked up a single point.

Game preview

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Qarabag is actually one of just six teams in the newly expanded 36-team Europa League having lost both of its first two games, with one 0:3 opening defeat against ten-man Tottenham Hotspur, followed by a 2-1 home defeat against Malmö three weeks ago.

Gurban GurbanovHowever, the Azerbaijan team has impressed at the domestic level so far this season, having won eight of their first nine games in the Azerbaijan Premier League, scoring 25 goals, the league's top division.

Qarabag beat Kapaz 5-0 last weekend thanks to a four-goal second-half win in just 27 minutes and they currently sit three points clear at the top of the table and are aiming for a fourth consecutive title.

The Horsemen, who reached the last 16 of the Europa League for the first time in their history last season, have largely struggled on the continental stage. In fact, of all the teams that have played at least 50 games in the Europa League, Qarabag has the highest loss ratio in the competition (55% – 29/53).

They also found it difficult to prevail against Dutch opponents, drawing three and losing one of their last four meetings, all of which came in Europa League qualifying against FC Twente, including two 0-0 draws on home soil in 2009 and 2014.

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After failing in the group stage of the Europa League last season and being eliminated from the Conference League in the round of 16, Ajax have since made a positive start to the last European campaign, with a resounding 4-0 opening win over Besiktas, followed by a 1-1 draw. 1 draw with 10 men against Slavia Prague three weeks ago.

The Amsterdam-based giants are currently enjoying a nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, which was extended last weekend thanks to a thrilling 4-3 away win against Heracles in the Eredivisie Wout Weghorst He scored two goals in the second half – including an 82nd minute winner – to secure maximum points for the fifth time this season.

35-year-old head coach Francesco Farioliwho has won 11 of his first 15 games since taking over in the summer, sees his team currently in third place Eredivisie rankings and they are 11 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven despite having played two games more.

Ajax are four-time European Cup/Champions League winners and also reached the Europa League final in 2016/17. However, they go into Thursday's competition having won just two of their last 15 away games in the latter competition and none of their last six on the road.

However, Ajax have lost just one of their last eight games when facing opponents in European competition for the first time (W4 D3), including qualifying wins over FK Vojvodina and Jagellonia Bialystok in this year's Europa League, well ahead of their first game Encounter with Qarabag.

Qarabag FK Europa League form:

Form of Qarabag FK (all competitions):

Ajax Europa League form:

Ajax form (all competitions):

Team news

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Qarabag has to do without the goalkeeper duo Shahrudin Mahammadaliev And Amin Ramazanov as they continue to recover from injuries. Mateusz Kochalski is expected to start between the posts against Ajax.

Gurbanov is expected to name his possible lineup, which will include a star striker Juninhowho scored six goals in 12 Europa League games for Qarabag – with another goal he will join the winger as the club's top scorer in the competition Abdellah Zoubirwhich is also scheduled to start on Thursday.

As for Ajax, Steven Berghuis has returned to training but will not travel to Azerbaijan with the first team for the time being Kristian Hlynsson (Ankle), Julian Rijkhoff (Knee), Davy Klaassen (not eligible) and Youri Baas (suspended) are also missing from the squad.

Weghorst, Jordan Henderson, Bertrand Traore And Kian Fitz Jim have all returned to the Europa League squad after missing the previous game against Slavia Prague while they were 16 and were defenders Jorthy Mokio is also included.

Daniele Rugani could replace Baas and partner Josip Sutalo in central defense, while Brian Brobbey is in danger of losing his starting spot at the top, having only scored one goal in 12 appearances so far this season.

Possible starting lineup of Qarabag FK:
Kochalski; Silva, Mustafazade, Huseynov, Cafarquliyev; Romao, P. Andrade; L. Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho

Ajax possible starting lineup:
Pasveer; Rensch, Sutalo, Rugani, Hato; Van den Boomen, Henderson, Taylor; Traore, Weghorst, Godts

We say: Qarabag FK 1-2 Ajax

Both teams have looked strong domestically so far this season, but Ajax have performed better on the continent and are favorites to beat Qarabag.

The hosts have the firepower to cause problems for Ajax in the final third, but we're backing the Dutch giants to outwork their opponents and secure their third straight win in all competitions.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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