#QARB04 – match facts
Bayer 04 could start a European campaign with four wins in succession for the first time. Midfielder Florian Wirtz has been involved in 22 goals (10 goals, 12 assists) in his 25 games in the UEFA Europa League, which is more than any other player since his debut in this competition (August 2020). Wirtz is currently featured in the UEFA Rise Up series, which highlights the best young players in this Europa League campaign. Click HERE to watch the video. Wirtz is not the only one to impress: The Werkself have the highest number of different goalscorers in the Europa League this term: The eleven goals for Bayer 04 have been scored by eight different players.
The Werkself now face a team who are strong at home: The Azerbaijani side are unbeaten in their last 13 European games. The record is seven wins and six draws. It is their longest such run. However, Qarabag have yet to beat a German team. They have lost six of the seven played and last season produced a 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg in the Europa League.
focus on Qarabag
Qarabag secured a runaway 7-1 victory against FC Kapaz Gäncä in the Premyer Liqasi on matchday 12. Despite the big win, the team led by head coach Gurbam Gurbanov are second in the table one point behind the leaders FK Zira. The situation for Qarabag in Group H of the Europa League remains good. They are in second place on six points and, even with a defeat against the Werkself, everything would be in their own hands in the last two games against Molde and Häcken to at least finish second in the group. Gurbanov has recently had to manage without the former Bayer 04 goalkeeper Andrey Lunev but he should be fit for the game against the Black and Reds. Right-back Matheus Silva, who played in the 5-1 defeat at Bayer 04, is ruled out due to an injury.
Bayer 04 will have to be prepared for a lively atmosphere at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium: 31,000 spectators will again be providing passionate support for their team today. Here is the lowdown on our next oppnents.
Pawson is the ref
UEFA has appointed the English referee Craig Pawson as the man in the middle for the game at Karabakh. The 44-year-old will be assisted by his fellow countrymen Simon Bennett and Lee Betts with the Australian Jarred Gillett in action as the VAR.
Werkself Radio and Live text updates
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast begins 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann and Cedric Pick. In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
