As Qarabag faces Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League group stage, the team hopes to break a pattern that has seen statistics not reflecting their results in previous matches. Will they overcome this trend in the upcoming match?
Despite not receiving much help from numbers in the past, Idman.biz examines where the two teams excel and where they fall short.
Both teams have scored 6 goals in 7 matches, but their positions on the table differ dramatically—one sits in 12th place with 12 points, while the other is 34th with just 3 points. While their attacking stats are equal, there’s a glaring difference in their defensive performance. Olympiacos, with just 3 goals conceded, boasts the best defense in the group, whereas Qarabag, having conceded 17, ranks 35th out of 36 teams. Qarabag has conceded in every match, while Olympiacos has kept 5 clean sheets.
Qarabag, considered an outsider in the group, has 289 attacks in 7 games, ranking 3rd in the tournament. Olympiacos, with 50 fewer attacks, ranks 12th.
The two clubs are similar in terms of shots on target—Olympiacos has 22 out of 80 shots on target, while Qarabag has 21 out of 79.
When it comes to possession, Olympiacos holds half the time, while Qarabag edges them out with 54.1% possession. The Greek side has a passing accuracy of 75.6%, ranking in the top four, while Qarabag boasts a higher accuracy of 84%, having completed 2,861 out of 3,388 passes.
In long passes, Qarabag is more accurate, completing 51.9% of their attempts, compared to Olympiacos’ 39.6%.
When it comes to free kicks, Qarabag (130) is only behind Fenerbahce (133), while Olympiacos has 86 free kicks, ranking 27th.
Qarabag leads in corner kicks with 38, compared to Olympiacos’ 27.
In dribbles, Qarabag players have successfully dribbled 64 times, while Olympiacos has done so 46 times.
Olympiacos stands out for their offside stats, having been caught offside 33 times, the most in the group, while Qarabag has only been caught offside 14 times.
In duels, Qarabag wins 54.3% of individual battles, while Olympiacos wins 49.8%. However, in aerial duels, Qarabag’s record is less impressive, winning just 41.1% of aerial challenges compared to Olympiacos' 52.4%.
In total shots, Qarabag has 166 compared to Olympiacos’ 157. In saves, both teams’ goalkeepers are closely matched, with Qarabag’s keeper making 27 saves to Olympiacos’ 25.
Olympiacos has committed more fouls, with 95 compared to Qarabag’s 66. Interestingly, Qarabag has been awarded 106 fouls, while Olympiacos has received just 73.
In terms of discipline, Qarabag has accumulated 15 yellow cards and 2 red cards, while Olympiacos has 16 yellow cards but no red cards.
Vugar Mammadov
Idman.biz
