Qarabag FK and Gent will both be looking to get the upper hand in their Europa Conference League playoff as they look to earn a place in the round of 16.
The hosts finished third in the Europa League group stage, but the visitors head in with slightly more confidence after finishing runners-up in Group F of the Europa Conference League.
Match preview
Qarabag FK head into Thursday night with plenty of confidence as they are currently undefeated in their previous four matches in all competition, which should provide no shortage of belief to the team.
However, while the hosts have been strong as of late they have drawn their last two matches which was the case last weekend against Sabah when Musa Qurbanli's goal was not enough to win them the match.
The Azerbaijani club will be hoping to get back to winning ways when it comes to their form in Europe though as their previous three matches saw them fail to do so.
Gurban Gurbanov's men drew twice and lost once in their final three Europa League group matches, which saw them finish a point behind Nantes, leading to them transferring to this competition.
Qarabag FK did showcase plenty of quality in their performances though, especially from an attacking sense as they scored in five of their six games, winning two of them 3-0.
The visitors have also been in fine form in front of goal as of late which is clear from the fact they have scored 11 times in their previous four matches.
Three of those took place last weekend after Hugo Cuypers scored a penalty and Gift Orban bagged a brace, but those three goals were not enough to secure a victory for Gent.
The team ended up sharing the points with Westerlo, which is a result that they will be aiming to put behind them on Thursday night.
Gent's most recent European performance was an impressive one as they dominated against Molde with a 4-0 win, but they ultimately finished second in the group table which placed them into this situation.
Hein Vanhaezebrouck's men struggled with consistency in the group stage with two victories, draws, and defeats, which is something they now must change in the knockout situation.
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Team News
Qurbanli is someone that is likely to lead the line for the hosts this weekend as his recent goalscoring form has showcased that he can cause a threat to any opponent.
Yassine Benzia made his debut for Qarabag FK from the bench last weekend after signing for the club in January, and this Thursday could see him be given a chance from the first minute.
After scoring twice in his most recent performance Orban will be set to lead the attack once again for the visitors after making an immediate impact on his debut for the club.
Having just three at the back is something that the visitors have chosen to do a lot as of late, and that could end up continuing this time as Gent continue to focus on the attacking side of their game.
Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:
Mahammadaliyev; Vesovic, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Qarayev, Benzia, Kady; Sheydayev, Owusu, Qurbanli
Gent possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Okumu, Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Torunarigha; Castro-Montes, De Sart, Kums, Piatkowski; Cuypers, Hyunseok Hong; Orbam
We say: Qarabag FK 1-2 Gent
Qarabag FK have the home advantage in his game, and that could make them the favourites heading into it, especially since they are undefeated in their previous games.
However, their previous European performances saw them struggle to get over the line, and that could lead to Gent taking the advantage into the second leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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