On Thursday night, HJK and Qarabag clash at the Bolt Arena in Helsinki in the Europa League third qualifying round second leg.
The first leg ended in a 2-1 victory for the visitors, so it is all to play for in this second-leg clash.
Hassane Bandé veti tänään ensimmäiset hiet joukkueen kanssa. Ja hyvältähän se näytti. 💪📸#HJK #Veikkausliiga #UELfi pic.twitter.com/YHTfHQ06T3— HJK Helsinki (@hjkhelsinki) August 14, 2023
Hassane Bandé veti tänään ensimmäiset hiet joukkueen kanssa. Ja hyvältähän se näytti. 💪📸#HJK #Veikkausliiga #UELfi pic.twitter.com/YHTfHQ06T3
The Finnish outfit has endured a mixed recent run of form in all competitions, as the first-leg defeat means that they have now suffered loss in two of their previous three matches.
HJK has now also conceded at least two goals in their last three competitive outings.
However, on the flip side, the home team has now won five of their previous eight games in all competitions, so it's not all doom and gloom.
The Finnish outfit has already exited one European competition this season as they exited the Champions League in the Second Qualifying Round at the hands of Molde.
Their recent history in the Europa League suggests they could be exiting this competition too, as HJK have failed to win in eight games in the competition.
The team from Azerbaijan will be relatively pleased with the 2-1 victory in the first leg.
The win means that Qarabag has now recorded back-to-back competitive wins. However, the victories came on the back of a three-game winless run in all competitions.
Qarabag’s recent games have been relatively high-scoring, with over 2.5 goals scored in five of their previous seven matches in all competitions.
The visitors have been inconsistent of late in the Europa League. However, the first-leg victory ended a three-game winless run in the competition.
One major concern for Qarabag in this competition of late has been their away form, as they have lost seven of their previous nine matches in the Europa League.
Forebet predicts that Qarabag will record a victory in a low-scoring encounter to seal their place in the next round of the competition.