Qarabag FK vs Vestri Prediction and Betting Tips | July 9th 2026

× The first round of qualifying for the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League kicks off with Azerbaijan’s Qarabag FK taking on Vestri of Iceland in the first leg at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku on Thursday. The Azeri team are considered the overwhelming favorites to win this match. Ad Qarabag finished second in the Misli Premier League last season on 69 points, nine behind champions Sabah after 33 games.

That position earned them entry into the Europa League qualifiers for this season. The Horsemen are in pre-season mode at the moment, with the new Azeri domestic campaign on the horizon, and their most recent friendly match against Ferencvaros ended in a 1-0 loss for Gurban Gurbanov's team. Meanwhile, second-division side Vestri won the 2025 Icelandic Football Cup, known as Mjolkurbikarinn, securing their first-ever domestic cup title and a place in the Europa League qualifiers.

Ad Trending Vestri play in the Icelandic 1. deild karla, the country's second division, and their most recent match was a goalless draw against UMF Grindavík on July 4. Winning the cup was an impressive achievement for the side from Ísafjörður, but qualifying for a European club competition is a massive step up, and they are likely to struggle against Qarabag.

The second leg of this tie will take place next Thursday, on 16 July, at Throttarvollur in Reykjavik. Ad As this is the first qualifying round, the winner over the two legs will advance to the next qualifying round, while the team that loses will drop into the second round of the UEFA Conference League qualifying path. Qarabag FK vs Vestri head-to-head stats and key numbers Vestri and Qarabag have never played against each other, so there is no current head-to-head record.

Qarabag have participated in seven seasons of UEFA Champions League qualifying, finally reaching the group stage of the competition on one occasion in 2017-18.Qarabag are frequent participants in the Europa League and its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, and they made history in the 2023-24 campaign by reaching the round of 16 of the Europa League, representing their best performance in a European club competition. Ad Qarabag FK vs Vestri prediction Qarabag should dominate possession and dictate the tempo in this match, while looking to break down the visitors' defense through sustained pressure and the support of their home crowd.

Vestri are expected to defend deep and aim to keep the first-leg result respectable to give them something to fight for in the return leg in Iceland.Vestri are likely to struggle away from home against a far more experienced opponent at this level, and we expect Qarabag to win comfortably. Ad Prediction: Qarabag FK 3-0 VestriQarabag FK vs Vestri betting tipsTip 1: Qarabag to winTip 2: Qarabag to keep a clean sheetTip 3: Over 2.

5 goals × Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Peter Pedroncelli The first round of qualifying for the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League kicks off with Azerbaijan’s Qarabag FK taking on Vestri of Iceland in the first leg at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku on Thursday. The Azeri team are considered the overwhelming favorites to win this match.

Ad Qarabag finished second in the Misli Premier League last season on 69 points, nine behind champions Sabah after 33 games. That position earned them entry into the Europa League qualifiers for this season. The Horsemen are in pre-season mode at the moment, with the new Azeri domestic campaign on the horizon, and their most recent friendly match against Ferencvaros ended in a 1-0 loss for Gurban Gurbanov's team.

Meanwhile, second-division side Vestri won the 2025 Icelandic Football Cup, known as Mjolkurbikarinn, securing their first-ever domestic cup title and a place in the Europa League qualifiers. Ad Trending Vestri play in the Icelandic 1. deild karla, the country's second division, and their most recent match was a goalless draw against UMF Grindavík on July 4.

Winning the cup was an impressive achievement for the side from Ísafjörður, but qualifying for a European club competition is a massive step up, and they are likely to struggle against Qarabag. The second leg of this tie will take place next Thursday, on 16 July, at Throttarvollur in Reykjavik. Ad As this is the first qualifying round, the winner over the two legs will advance to the next qualifying round, while the team that loses will drop into the second round of the UEFA Conference League qualifying path.

Qarabag FK vs Vestri head-to-head stats and key numbers Vestri and Qarabag have never played against each other, so there is no current head-to-head record.Qarabag have participated in seven seasons of UEFA Champions League qualifying, finally reaching the group stage of the competition on one occasion in 2017-18.Qarabag are frequent participants in the Europa League and its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, and they made history in the 2023-24 campaign by reaching the round of 16 of the Europa Lea