The curtains will fall on Matchday 4 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season on Wednesday. The action on the day will start with two simultaneous matches, including Qarabag FK vs Chelsea at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
Qarabag FK could not have asked for a better start to the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign, as they beat SL Benfica and FC Copenhagen in the first two matchdays. However, a 3-1 defeat to Athletic Club on Matchday 3 has dropped the Azerbaijani outfit to 13th on the table. Meanwhile, Gurban Gurbanov’s men are in contention to win the Azerbaijan Premier League, as they are only one point behind Turan Tovuz, having played a game less.
On the other hand, Chelsea began the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich before bouncing back with wins over SL Benfica and Ajax to rise to 11th in the standings. However, the Blues have not been convincing enough in domestic football, although they are on a run of six wins in seven matches across all competitions, with the 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur taking them to seventh on the Premier League table.
Qarabag and Chelsea have faced off twice previously, with the West London outfit scoring ten times without response in those clashes. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Gurban Gurbanov has no new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Qarabag FK manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Chelsea on Wednesday.
Ramil Sheydayev is not in Qarabag’s UEFA Champions League squad, and he will not feature for the Azerbaijani club until the next round, if they reach that stage. Jonathan Montiel will also miss out due to eligibility issues.
Mateusz Kochalski will take his spot between the sticks, with Qarabag FK lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Wednesday. The backline will feature Matheus Silva, Bahlul Mustafazada, Kevin Medina, and Elvin Cafarquliyev.
As for the midfield unit, Pedro Bicalho will line up alongside Kady Borges in the double pivot, with Leandro Andrade reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Nariman Akhundzade will lead the line for Qarabag FK against Chelsea, with Camilo Duran and captain Abdellah Zoubir being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kochalski; Silva, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Bicalho, Borges; Duran, Andrade, Zoubir; Akhundzade
Unlike his counterpart in the Qarabag FK dugout, Enzo Maresca has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea manager will be without five first-team players on Wednesday.
Levi Colwill (knee), Benoit Badiashile (muscular), Dario Essugo (hamstring), and Cole Palmer (groin) remain in the treatment room. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk is serving a suspension after failing a doping test several months ago. However, Joao Pedro has finished his ban in the UEFA Champions League, while Liam Delap is only unavailable for domestic games.
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Qarabag FK on Wednesday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will pair up in the double pivot, with the returning Joao Pedro reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Marc Guiu will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Qarabag, with Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Estevao, Joao Pedro, Gittens; Guiu
While Joao Pedro, Leandro Andrade, and Marc Guiu were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Estevao Willian as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Qarabag FK and Chelsea at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
The teenage sensation scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on Matchday 3 against Ajax. Should he find the net in this game, the Brazilian international will become the first South American player to score in consecutive appearances while aged 18 or younger. With Estevao rising in prominence with each performance, expect him to be the go-to player for Enzo Maresca on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium may not have many goals, even though Qarabag FK and Chelsea have averaged two or more goals thus far in this season’s tournament. Additionally, both teams have shown defensive vulnerability. However, neither team has been consistent on either end in the 2025/26 season.
So, a midfield battle may be on the cards, and the two sides will play a closely-contested affair before the gulf in quality becomes clear. That is when Chelsea will take the game by the scruff of its neck, and a narrow victory is on the cards for the away side. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.
