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Cyprus outfit Aris Limassol will host Azerbaijan club Neftchi Baku in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers on Thursday.
Aris have enjoyed a decent pre-season, picking up two wins from as many friendly games late last month. They'll also have the advantage of playing the first game of this tie at home. Baku, meanwhile come into this game off poor pre-season outings against Turkish opponents. Most recently, they went down to Sivasspor 1-0.
They did not fare too well at the end of last season, finishing third in the division to miss out on automatic qualification to the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage. Aris also finished third in their division, behind Apollon and APOEL.
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Aris Limassol vs Neftchi Baku Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- It will be the fifth meeting between the two teams.
- The last time they played against each other was in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round in 2012, which Aris won over two legs.
- Baku have registered a solitary win against Aris.
- Baku have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those outings.
- Aris recorded a club record win in 2012 with a 7-0 win over Neftchi, which was their biggest win in Europe at that time.
- Interestingly, it will be Baku's second appearance in European competition since 2012.
- For Aris, it'll be their first appearance in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Aris Limassol vs Neftchi Baku Prediction
The visitors will have to play out of their skins to have any chance of progression from this round. Baku's past record against Aris is barely impressive, so they'll have their task cut out in this away leg.
They will have to take something away from this tie back to Azerbaijan to have any hope of pulling off an upset. Aris should win the first leg convincingly.
Prediction: Aris 5-1 Neftchi Baku.
Aris Limassol vs Neftchi Baku Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Aris Limassol.
Tip 2: Both teams to score - Yes (Neftchi Baku have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last two outings).
Tip 3: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals scored in Aris' two pre-season games).
