Shelbourne vs Qarabag Tips & Preview - Visitors to claim first leg advantage

By Tolu Shotade

21 Jul 2025

Tolu Shotade 21 Jul 2025

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Qarabag enters the second round of Champions League qualifiers with significant European experience.
Shelbourne, unbeaten in six matches.
Expect an open contest with both teams likely to score, following Qarabag's recent match trends.

Qarabag

Qarabag join the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in the second round as they travel to Shelbourne for the first leg clash.

The visitors are counting on their experience at this level of European competition and will be feeling confident. They should claim the advantage over the hosts, who have been unconvincing in front of their fans lately.

Shelbourne News

Shelbourne overcame Northern Irish side Linfield 2-1 on aggregate to reach the second round of the qualifiers. They claimed a 1-0 home victory in the first leg before holding out for a 1-1 draw in the second meeting.

Things have been smooth for Shelbourne, who are unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions, earning a 4-0 victory at Fairview Rangers in a domestic fixture last weekend. However, Joey O’Brien's team are a bit erratic at home with two wins and as many defeats in their last four fixtures in front of their fans.

Shelbourne often play on the front foot and have scored in nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions. However, they are without a clean sheet in seven fixtures on this run, while five of their last nine home matches have produced over 2.5 goals.

Qarabag News

Qarabag are regular campaigners in European competitions and played in the group stage of the Champions League in the 2018-19 season. They also featured in the league phase of last season's Europa League and will look to bring that experience to bear in these qualifiers.

The Azerbaijanis have been in preseason and were beaten 2-1 by Austrian side Salzburg in their last match. Qurban Qurbanov’s team are generally decent on their travels and are unbeaten in six of their last seven competitive away matches.

There are often goals whenever Qarabag play, and they have scored and conceded in their last five matches across all competitions. All five fixtures on this run have also produced over 2.5 goals.