Preview: Qarabag FK vs. Villarreal - prediction, team news, lineups

After a disappointing start to their 2020-21 Europa League campaign, Qarabag FK will be hoping to pick up a more positive result as they host Villarreal on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Spanish team took part in an eight-goal thriller during their opening match of the competition, winning 5-3 against Sivasspor.

Match preview

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Qarabag succumbed to a 1-0 loss against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv last week, with Yonatan Cohen scoring the only goal of the game.

Despite their disappointing defeat, Gurban Gurbanov 's men sit third in Group I, currently above Sivasspor on goal difference.

In the Azerbaijan Premier League, they are also struggling - having picked up just two wins in their opening six games.

On Sunday, they only managed a 0-0 draw against Zira FK, with the Horseman currently sitting fourth in the table.

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Villarreal will undoubtedly be the favourites heading into this match, with Unai Emery 's team already managing a win in their first game of the competition against Sivasspor.

However, it was not without its difficulties, as the Turkish side managed to equalise twice against the Yellow Submarine during the 90 minutes - forcing the hosts to score two late goals to secure the win.

Emery's men have endured a pretty mediocre start to La Liga, despite currently sitting fourth in the table - winning three games, drawing once and losing a further three.

Their most recent league result featured a 0-0 draw against newly-promoted Cadiz, with Alvaro Cervera 's side proving to be dark horses this season.

In fact, Cadiz had the biggest chance of the game as Alvaro Negredo 's effort was ruled offside by VAR in the first ten minutes, resulting in a dull afternoon for both sides.

Qarabag FK Europa League form: L

Qarabag FK form (all competitions): DLWWDL

Villarreal Europa League form: W

Villarreal form (all competitions): DWWDWL

Team News

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Gurbanov may opt for the same team that faced Maccabi Tel Aviv, with the visitors narrowly missing out on a point in their first game of the competition.

With both Filip Ozobic and Abdellah Zoubir scoring in the Europa League play off against Polish side Legia Warsaw, the Azerbaijan coach will be hoping his attacking players can do the same in the upcoming game.

Villarreal, on the other hand, will have to deal with a few injuries as they head into their next Europa League game.

The Yellow Submarine will be without key player Dani Parejo, with the 31-year-old set to return next month after picking up a muscle injury in their 2-1 win against Valencia.

Pervis Estupinan, Alberto Moreno and Ramiro Guerra are also set to miss the match, while the likes of Gerard Moreno and Ramiro Funes Mori remain doubtful.

As Paco Alcacer scored twice off the bench against their last opponents in the Europa League and started in their latest league match against Cadiz, he may be included in the starting XI come Thursday.

Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:

Mehemmedeliyev; Medvedev, Guseynov, Medina, Huseynov; Qarayev, Andrade, Matic; Ozobic, Kwabena, Zoubir

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Rulli; Pena, Foyth, Albiol, Costa; Kubo, Coquelin, M.Trigueros; Chukwueze, Alcacer, Baena

We say: Qarabag FK 0-2 Villarreal

Qarabag have failed to score in their previous two games, so a match against Villarreal will be a particularly tough test for the hosts and we expect the visitors to claim a comfortable win on Thursday.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.