Shkëndija will look for the big upset tonight in the UCL

Shkëndija will be looking for a big upset in the Champions League tonight.

The Albanian team lost the first match of the third qualifying round of this competition to Qarabag in Skopje with a score of 0:1 last week.

The Tetovan team, who are the only Albanian team remaining in the most prestigious European football competition, have set off for Azerbaijan with the aim of overturning the result, although they are aware that a very difficult task awaits them.

If they pull off a miracle by overturning the result tonight, Shkëndija will face Ludogorets or Ferencvaros in the Champions League play-offs.

Azerbaijan’s Qarabag have been a permanent feature of UEFA’s competitions in the past decade, and have already guaranteed themselves a spot in the Conference League. But Champions League football remains a real possibility, as long as they beat Shkendija on Thursday.

The most successful Azerbaijani team on the European stage, Qarabag, won the domestic title for the ninth time in the last 10 years. And for the last 11 years in a row, they reached the group stage of either the CL or the EL. In 2023/24, they even made it to the Round of 16. Their performance in the League Phase of the Europa League last season left much to be desired, but the Horsemen look a lot more competitive at the start of this season.

North Macedonia’s Shkendija have secured their debut in the League Phase of the Conference League after seven unsuccessful attempts in recent years. The Ballists may be one of the smallest teams left in the qualifiers but they are not to be underestimated, especially after taking out the Romanian champions in the previous round.

Probable line-ups
Qarabag: Kochalski, Silva, Mustafazade, Medina, Cafarguliyev, Bicalho, Jankovic, Kady, Andrade, Addai, Zoubir.

Shkendija: Gaye, Cake, Fetai, Trumci, Alhassan, Krasniqi, Ramadani, Latifi, Tamba, Ibraimi.