Qarabag vs CSKA Sofia prediction 23.07.2026 | Europa League Qualifiers

Qarabag have been the best team in Azerbaijan as they managed to win 11 league titles in the past 13 years. However, one of those years was last year, as they finished 2nd, nine points behind 1st-placed Sabah Baku. However, last season, they did a magnificent job in the Champions League, reaching the knockout phase where Newcastle stopped them.

Over the offseason, the club left Kevin Medina, their best center-back, and Leandro Andrade and Camilo Duran, their two top goalscorers. However, they added replacements for those players who left, and they have done well in the first two games against Vestri. Even though it is still early to judge, we believe they are at least at the same level of quality as last season.

CSKA Sofia, the Bulgarian 31-time champions, are without a league title for almost two decades. Last year, they finished 4th, the worst team in the Championship Group behind Levski Sofia, CSKA Sofia and Ludogorets. However, by winning the cup title, they can probably be satisfied with how things ended. 

This season, they managed to win both games in the EL Qualifiers against Derry City, but it was probably harder than many football pundits expected. They also drew 0:0 with Slavia Sofia in the first game of the Bulgarian league, which is far from ideal, but to be fair, they did rotate the squad in that match. However, the impression is that the start to the season hasn't been spectacular, even though they recorded two wins and one draw. 

When it comes to transfers, the team hasn't made big moves and has kept pretty much all of their key players. The departure of center back Lumbardh Dellova is probably the biggest change to the team.