The next team to represent our country in European competitions, Qarabag, is set to face its first test today.

Offsideplus.az traditionally prepares an article about the recent European performances of our representatives before their matches this season. Naturally, the focus is on Qarabag, as the horses have made each season more memorable than the last with their significant achievements.

After handing the championship to Neftchi in the 2020/21 season, the team underwent internal changes, and we began to see a level of Qarabag in the league and European competitions that we had not witnessed before.

In that season, Qarabag became the first of our representatives to reach the playoffs of the newly established Conference League. However, they were eliminated in the playoff stage after losing both matches to Marseille.

The following season was also quite successful. They managed to defeat established clubs like Nantes and Olympiakos with a score of 3-0. Qarabag finished third in a group that included Freiburg and was eliminated in the round of 32 by Gent in a penalty shootout.

In the last three seasons, Qarabag has made a name for itself in Europe, with two of those seasons being particularly notable. The memorable matches against one of the strongest teams of the 2023/24 season, Bayer, are still fresh in the memory. The Agdam side, who only fell behind to the Germans in the group, advanced past Braga in the round of 16 thanks to a memorable goal from Nariman Akhundzadeh. They faced Bayer in the quarter-finals. Despite taking a two-goal lead away from home while down to ten men after a 2-2 draw in Baku, the numerical disadvantage and quality ultimately prevented Qarabag from progressing to the semi-finals.

The 2024/25 season was somewhat unsuccessful. The change from a group stage to a league format and adaptation issues did not bode well for Qarabag.

However, last season was etched in golden letters in the history of Azerbaijani football. Not only did they qualify for the Champions League, but they also reached the playoffs as one of the best 24 teams. The Agdam side made a remarkable comeback in the league stage against Benfica away, defeated teams like Copenhagen and Eintracht, and earned a point against Chelsea.

Two of our players, Kamilo Duran and Elvin Jafarquliyev, were named "players of the match," and Bahlul Mustafazadeh and Elvin C.L. made history as Azerbaijani players who scored goals.

This season, we expect even greater successes. The foundation for this will be laid today. Gurban Gurbanov's rejuvenated squad will host Vestri. The match is set to kick off at 20:00.