UEFA releases statistics on Qarabag- Roma match

Baku. 20 September. REPORT.AZ/ The UEFA official website has released statistics on Qarabag - Roma match in the second round of the Champions League group stage.

Report informs, it was emphasized in the article that it will be the first home match of Aghdam representative and “wolves” could not achieve good results at away matches on the continent's most influential club tournament.

Match background

Qarabag

• Beaten 6-0 at Chelsea FC in their first Group C game, Qarabag can at least look to a solid recent home record as they bid to get points on the board. They have lost just one of their last nine European home matches (W5 D3): 1-2 against ACF Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa League on 8 December 2016.

The Azerbaijani club reached the group stage for the first time by beating Georgian champions FC Samtredia in the second qualifying round (5-0 home, 1-0 away), followed by Moldova's FC Sheriff (0-0 home, 2-1 away) in the third. In the play-offs, they won 1-0 at home to FC København and advanced on away goals after a 2-1 defeat in Denmark.

Qarabag's four previous fixtures against Italian sides have ended W0 D1 L3 (D1 L1 at home). They drew 0-0 with FC Internazionale Milano in Baku in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage, and went down 2-1 to Fiorentina at the same stage of that competition last season, their most recent home defeat.

This is Qarabag's fourth UEFA Champions League campaign; in each of the previous three they were eliminated in the third qualifying round. Last year they ousted F91 Dudelange 3-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, but then lost to FC Viktoria Plzeň (0-0 away, 1-1 home) in the next stage.

In 2016/17, the Baku-based team contested the UEFA Europa League group stage – for the third consecutive year – after being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League. They have never gone through to the round of 32, however.

Qarabag qualified for the UEFA Champions League after winning the Azerbaijani Premier League for a fifth time in 2016/17 – their fourth straight championship.

Roma

• This is Roma's first game against a club from Azerbaijan.

Second in Serie A in 2016/17, Roma are in the group stage for a tenth time and the third in four years.

The Italian side were eliminated by FC Porto in last season's play-offs (1-1 away, 0-3 home). They got as far as the UEFA Europa League round of 16, where they were defeated 5-4 over two legs by Olympique Lyonnais.

The goalless draw at home to Club Atlético de Madrid on matchday one means Roma are without a win in seven UEFA Champions League matches, home and away and including qualifying, since a 3-2 home victory over Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 4 November 2015. That is their only success in their last 16 games in the competition.

Roma won two of their five away fixtures in last season's UEFA Europa League but, in the UEFA Champions League, they are without a victory in their last ten away matches, including qualifying (D5 L5). A 3-2 triumph at FC Basel 1893 in the 2009/10 group stage is their sole victory in their last 12 away games in the competition, group stage to final (D4 L7).

Coach and player links

• Roma's Juan Jesus was in the Inter team that beat Qarabag 2-0 in Milan in the UEFA Europa League on 2 October 2014.

Stephan El Shaarawy was part of the AS Monaco FC side that edged Qarabag 1-0 at home before a 1-1 draw in Azerbaijan in the 2015/16 Europe League group stage.

El Shaarawy scored in Italy's 3-1 win away to Azerbaijan in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying on 10 October 2015.

Alessandro Florenzi was also in that Italy line-up in Baku, having appeared too in the Azzurri's 2-1 home win on 10 October 2014.

Have played together

Míchel & Kostas Manolas (AEK Athens FC, 2010/11)

• International team-mates:

Ibrahim Šehić & Edin Džeko (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Jakub Rzeźniczak & Łukasz Skorupski (Poland)