Baku, Azerbaijan – Qarabag don come along way since dem suffer serious wahala for 2017-18 Champions League wey dem dey call ‘carrier bag’ as dem collect 6-0 for Chelsea yard.
But no be so again oh! Dis season, dem don match Chelsea six points dey shine like diamond from their first three group matches. E be like say dem don ready to disturb Chelsea on Wednesday (KO 17:45).
Qarabag wey sabi tori dey used to dey fall for qualifying rounds, finally manage chop victory for main stage when dem pull another shocker for Benfica. Dem come back from two goals down to win 3-2, finish wey Bruno Lage collect his bag go home, and dem carry Jose Mourinho come as new boss. Na wah!
Dem follow am with another 2-0 for Copenhagen and even collect lead against Spanish side Athletic Club before dem go lose 3-1. Na so dem don triple their goal tally from that bad season wey pass long time ago. Fans dey feel hope say anything fit happen, especially if dem fit beat Chelsea.
Manager Gurban Gurbanov dey chop confidence as him sabi sey if dem fit collect win for dis match, e go be correct milestone as dis go be dem 200th European match.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea manager, don clear sey no be small test dis one be. Him sabi say dem go waka nine hours round trip come Baku, and four hours time difference no go make am easy. “To be honest, dem strong well, well,” him talk.
Yet, for English teams, Qarabag no dey see any shine – dem don try seven times but no manage win or even draw, scoring only once while 21 goals don enter their own net from teams like Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Na serious gbege o!
Gurbanov still dey remain optimistic even though him dey respect the difference wey dey between Premier League and their own league level. “We don develop well, but we need to show sey we fit stand firm and play our game well for our fans,” him talk.
As dem come from 1951, dem don face serious wahala wey make dem drop their hometown Agdam for Baku because of the fight for Nagorno-Karabakh. Na so dem don chop the tag ‘refugee club’ but dis match wey dem dey prepare for Chelsea go make football for dis small country shine.
With only £22m squad value, dem still dey try compete wey Chelsea don carry over £1.5bn spend for three seasons, but as Gurbanov talk, e no dey look budget, na just to do wetin go fit achieve their goal.
Di last time wey dem do well for Europe na after dem make mouth when dem reach the knockout stages for Europa League, and now them dey liken their small team to the “Barcelona of the Caucasus.” We go see if dem fit show dem true self come Wednesday.
32,000 fans dey expect as dem gather for Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, a place wey don dey shine since 1939. If dem fit beat Chelsea, na back-to-back home games dem go don achieve for European competition, something wey never happen before. Who no go want taste victory for dis kind big match?
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