Matchday 6 of the 2024/25 Europa League group stage between Elfsborg (Sweden) and Qarabag (Azerbaijan) will take place on December 12 at Boras Arena. Elfsborg vs. Qarabag: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Antonio Carvalho Nobre (Portugal)
Matches – 10 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 50%.
Predicted lineups for Elfsborg vs. Qarabag
Elfsborg (3-4-3): Isak Pettersson – Gustav Henriksson, Ibrahim Buhari, Sebastian Holmen – Niklas Hult, Andri Baldursson, Besfort Zeneli, Simon Hedlund – Arber Zeneli, Michael Baidoo, Ahmed Qasem.
Qarabag (4-2-1-3): Mateusz Kochalski – Toral Bayramov, Kevin Medina, Behlul Mustafazade, Marko Vesovic – Marko Jankovic, Patrick Andrade – Yassine Benzia – Abdellah Zoubir, Juninho, Aleksey Kashchuk.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Elfsborg
A 0-3 defeat to Athletic in the last Europa League round ended Oscar Hiljemark's side's four-match scoring run in the tournament. Over five group stage matches, the team has won only once (1 draw, 3 losses). Ahead of Matchday 6, Elfsborg is in 28th place, just one point away from the playoff zone. Notably, the club has conceded 11 goals, with only four teams having a worse record in the tournament.
- Elfsborg has not conceded more than one goal in regular time in their last 13 home Europa League games.
- The club has not lost in 90 minutes in 10 of their last 11 matches at Boras Arena in this tournament (8 wins, 2 draws).
- At least one team failed to score in regular time in 5 of Elfsborg's last 6 home Europa League matches.
Qarabag
In Matchday 5, the team lost 1-4 to Lyon. This defeat was the fourth for Gurban Gurbanov's side in this tournament. Notably, Qarabag has not drawn a match in the group stage, with the sole bright spot for Azerbaijani fans being the victory over Bodo/Glimt (2-1). The club is in 32nd place in the standings, two points away from the playoff zone.
- At least three goals have been scored in Qarabag's last 6 away Europa League matches.
- The club has scored at least twice in 4 of their last 5 away games in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Qarabag's last 6 away Europa League matches.
Elfsborg vs. Qarabag: Match Prediction
The Swedish club plays highly defensive football at home in the Europa League, which affects the scoring in Elfsborg's matches – no more than three goals have been scored in regular time in their last 8 home games in this tournament. During this period, the club's adept defense neutralized the attacks of Roma (1-0) and Braga (1-1).
Qarabag has not looked particularly confident in the current Europa League campaign. Gurban Gurbanov's side has scored only 4 goals in 5 group stage games. Moreover, no more than three goals have been scored in 4 of Qarabag's last 5 matches in this tournament.
It's important to note the close standings of the opponents – both clubs are in the lower part of the standings, making every point crucial. I believe that the teams will play very cautiously in the upcoming match. My prediction: Total under 3.5 goals
