WHEN? Thursday, September 19th, 2019 1255 EST / 1855 CET / 0255 AEST
And that same feeling was replicated after that goal line scramble led to Slavia Prague’s winner in last year’s Europa League Round of 16 tie. While at the time it seemed like despair, the disaster in Prague can now be seen as a blessing in disguise. Without it, the Machín/Caparrós tandem might’ve still held out for a bit longer, and Monchi might’ve just taken that Arsenal job he was frequently linked with. Now 189 days on, we sit top of the league after 4 matchdays, and get to stake a claim on a trophy we once had a firm grip on.
As Matchday 1 of the Champions League has shown, not a single team should be taken lightly. If we desire to balance the league with these cup competitions, a good start will be vital in order to qualify as quickly as possible for the next round.
The entire squad, bar Nolito, has travelled to Azerbaijan, including Ocampos, who’s serving a suspension from last season. Dabbur came to prominence in last year’s campaign, after being the joint-3rd highest scorer with 8 goals. Will this be enough to at least earn him a spot on the bench?
RECONNAISSANCE
Lopetegui will hope his struggling frontline is properly tested ahead of his 1st big match on Sunday against Real Madrid. Tonight we face a Qarabag team who won’t be unfamiliar against Spanish opposition. This same team took points off Atlético in both CL group games 2 season ago. As the standard in European football increases, there are rarely any easy games anymore. We will need to rely on our current away form to find success on Azerbaijani soil.
Subs: Bono, Gomez, Lopes, Dabbour, Banega, Reguilon, Fernando
Man Dabbour just couldn’t buy a start to save his life, other than that a very interesting lineup, we get to see the up and coming in Pozo and Kounde while Escudero, Munir and Chicharito get a run out. I was hoping Jordan could be saved for the clash against Real but he starts, hopefully it’s just for 60 minutes as we need him to boss the flimsy Madrid midfield on the weekend. Torres and Vazquez on the wings could either be a masterstroke or lead directly to a stroke, it’s that fine of a line.
We should win this one! Good to see some new faces that get less minutes, surprised about Dabbur not getting a start but of course, he’s currently the third choice obviously.
It’s not exactly a stroll in the park, Sevilla making hard work of it. Gudelj playing the Banega role without the long passes but solid connections. Escudero shows why we need Reguilon in the side.
