Dynamo Kyiv gets a Qarabag side missing its main striker but strong at the back

Qarabag, known as the Steeds, is not a typical opponent for Dynamo Kyiv. The club has won the Azerbaijani league while being unable to play home matches in its native city. Before this year, it had taken 11 of the last 12 titles, so comparisons with Shakhtar come naturally - even if Shakhtar has never had that kind of run. The club is gradually returning to Aghdam. A domestic cup match has already been played there, and construction of the Imaret Stadium, an 11,700-seat UEFA Category 4 arena, is underway. Work began in September of the year before last. For now, Qarabag plays domestic games at a new stadium in a Baku district and stages international matches at the country's main stadium, which hosted European Championship games and the Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea. This year has produced mixed signals. Qarabag reached the Champions League playoff round for the first time in its history, only to lose 1-6 at home to Newcastle and 2-3 in England. The European push had a domestic cost, with the club finding itself nine points behind Sabah, which has never won the title. Then came a surprising Europa League qualifying loss to CSKA Sofia. After 210 goalless minutes, the Bulgarians won the penalty shootout. In the first leg in Baku, there was little between the teams for 75 minutes; Qarabag pushed late and had a goal ruled out for offside. In Sofia, CSKA was sharper and more accurate. For Dynamo, there is no European history with Azerbaijani clubs. In Soviet times, the Kyiv side faced Neftchi, formerly known as Naftovyk, and although Dynamo usually came out on top, games in Baku were never easy. Qarabag itself spent the Soviet years in the second league, then became the flagship club of independent Azerbaijan. The numbers tell the story: 12 league titles, 8 cups, 21 top-three finishes and 12 cup finals. Qarabag is also the only club in the country to have played in the group stage and advanced to a playoff. Against Ukrainian teams, the pattern is strange. The 2014 meetings with Dnipro ended 1-0 and 1-2; the 2018 double-header against Vorskla produced 1-0 and 0-1. Every match was decided by a single goal, and every time the away side won. From those Vorskla games, defender Huseynov and captain Zubir, a left winger with French-Moroccan background, are still in the squad. Qarabag's biggest strength right now is defensive reliability, with the goalkeeper the standout figure. It beat Icelandic side Vestri 3-0 twice in Europa League qualifying - an opponent that is a cup winner but plays in the second division - then kept CSKA Sofia out over two legs. But for the Dynamo match, it will be without its first-choice center forward. There have been no other official matches, so the European qualifiers are the only fresh reference.