The £22m squad out to shock Chelsea - how Qarabag are defying odds

Qarabag are bidding to win back-to-back home matches in major European competition for the first time

Having been mocked on their debut in the Champions League group stage eight years ago, Azerbaijani side Qarabag have proved a surprise package in this season's competition.

They lost 6-0 at Chelsea and 4-0 at home in that difficult 2017-18 campaign, claiming just two points from a group featuring Atletico Madrid and Roma, and earning the derisory nickname "carrier bag".

Qarabag have since found their feet in Europe and, having matched Chelsea's six points from a possible nine in the first three league phase matches, they will have to be taken more seriously in Wednesday's meeting in Baku (KO 17:45).

Having often faltered in the qualifying rounds of the competition, they gained a dramatic first win in the main stage with a superb comeback success at Benfica, winning 3-2 after being 2-0 down and prompting the Portuguese side to sack Bruno Lage and appoint Jose Mourinho.

Qarabag then beat Copenhagen 2-0 at home before going a goal up at Spanish side Athletic Club, but losing 3-1.

They have tripled their goal haul from the 2017-18 campaign, raising hopes among supporters they can continue to defy expectations.

Should Gurban Gurbanov's side beat Chelsea, it would be Qarabag's most notable win in their 200th European match.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is aware this is a tricky test, especially given the nine-hour round trip to Baku and four-hour time difference.

"To be honest, they are a very good team," he said. "Well organised, very intense in the way they press and work together as a team, you can see that it's many, many years they work with the same manager, 17 years, it is unbelievable. It will be tough especially because they are at home.

"We will arrive [back in London] on Thursday at 6am in the morning, We have a game on Saturday night and have to adapt."

However, beating English opposition in Europe has been so far impossible for Qarabag, having not even drawn a match in seven attempts. scoring once and conceding 21 in defeats by Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool.

When asked by BBC Sport, Qarabag manager Gurbanov said: "Unfortunately, we haven't beaten English opposition because the Premier League is the top level, the strongest league in the world.

"Qarabag has developed a lot [since last facing Chelsea] but the gap [between the clubs] is still dangerous. We have to be able to stand on our feet, play our football, fight and have a great match for our fans. Any win would be good for us.

"Welcoming Chelsea to Baku is a good achievement for us and will help develop this small football country."

Qarabag enjoyed their first win in the Champions League group stage with a comeback success at Benfica

Remarkable rise in a troubled region

Founded in 1951, the club are originally from Agdam in Azerbaijan but, because of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the team has long played their home matches elsewhere and nicknamed "the refugee club".

A peace deal was signed in the White House in August to end the decades-long Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but the club had already left their home city in 1993.

The prospect of a return is unlikely any time soon, given the region needs rebuilding with mines still littered across the area.

Domestic domination has earned them entry into Uefa competitions since the 1996-97 season.

Key landmarks include a first Europa League group-stage appearance in 2014-15, the maiden Champions League outing three years later - earning draws home and away against Atletico Madrid - and a first qualification to the knockout rounds of the Europa League in 2023-24, by beating Portuguese club Braga in the play-off.

Qarabag remain minnows at this level, though.

According to Transfermarkt, the squad is valued at under £22m, which is less than £1m per player, and they have spent less than £7m on transfers since 2020.

Chelsea have spent over £1.5bn in three seasons, albeit balanced by substantial player sales, with a squad now worth more than £1bn.

"I have never focused on budgets. I just try to adapt and we have to do our best to achieve our goals," added Gurbanov.

Capped 68 times by Azerbaijan, former striker Gurbanov is arguably the country's most prominent footballing figure after securing landmark wins in Europe during his 17-year tenure, making him the longest-serving manager in the Champions League.

Their improvement and success in domestic football has seen them viewed differently too - nicknamed "the Barcelona of the Caucasus" after claiming 11 of the last 12 league titles.

In Europe, however, Qarabag are not afraid to be a bit more pragmatic.

They are second behind Union Saint-Gilloise for ball recoveries this term and second behind Pafos for clearances, with just an average possession share of 46.7 per cent.

Packed mostly with Azerbaijan players, their key foreign talent includes winger Leandro Andrade, who has scored three goals, along with Montenegrin creator Marko Jankovic and French attacker Abdellah Zoubir.

There will be a sold-out 32,000 crowd at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium - built in 1939 and named after the linesman who awarded Geoff Hurst's infamous goal for England against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.

There will no doubt be heroic acclaim for the Qarabag players should they overcome Chelsea and win back-to-back home games in a major European competition for a first time in their history.

Gurban Gurbanov first took charge of Qarabag in 2008

Can they qualify?

If last season's Europa League or Champions League are anything to go by - their current six-point tally means Qarabag are just three or four points away from reaching the play-off round.

Should they beat Chelsea, they will have a great chance to enter the knockout round directly.

However, the play-offs are a more realistic target, with Napoli, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool their remaining opposition during the league phase.