The first match between Bayer and Qarabag took place a fortnight ago in Leverkusen. Then the German club scored a quick goal, but immediately allowed the Azerbaijani team to get back on track. However, somewhere in the middle of the first half Bayer produced such football that the players of Qarabag barely took their feet out of Germany. The final score of 5:1 in favour of "pharmacists" underlined the level of dominance over their opponents. The two group leaders will meet in Baku next Thursday. Prior to the defeat in Leverkusen, Qarabag had beaten both opponents in the opening rounds. First, Kurbanov's wards defeated Norwegian Molde 1-0 at home, and then also with the help of one goal in Gothenburg became the triumphants of the meeting with Swedish champion Hecken. Bayer beat these opponents more quietly: Hecken - 4:0, Molde - 2:1. Bookmakers have identified the guests of the upcoming meeting as favourites, offering odds of 1.43 on their victory.

Qarabag have been led by Kurban Kurbanov since 2008. By this year, the Azerbaijani head coach has led the club to its tenth championship title. In the previous nine seasons, the team consistently played in the group stage of the Champions League and Europa League, and in the last two years reached the 1/16 finals of the Conference League. A club with such consistent results in European tournaments and such a wise coach is trying to realise its ambitions in the Europa League this season, with the current second place in the championship.

The Leverkusen club, which failed at the start of last season, made the right conclusions at the beginning of the current Bundesliga campaign. Not only Bayer has not lost a single official meeting in the German championship, only victories "pharmacists" pleased their fans in the German Cup and Europa League. The first place in the elite German division is a natural outcome of the confident game of Alonso's wards in August-October 2023. Two full days after the match in Baku, the leader of the German championship will take home Union Berlin, which after twelve consecutive defeats will snatch points from Bayer with all parts of the body. We bet that Qarabag will get a sensational victory over the unfocused favourite.