Qarabag vs Shelbourne: UEFA Champions League Prediction (30.07.2025)

On Wednesday, July 30 at 23:00 WIB, Qarabag from Agdam will host Dublin-based Shelbourne at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2025–2026 second qualifying round. Qarabag won the away leg 3–0, almost guaranteeing their progression to the next stage.

Given the result of the first match, bookmakers see no realistic chance for the Irish side to advance in the Qarabag vs Shelbourne matchup. The odds for Shelbourne to progress are set at 38.00, while bets on Qarabag’s advancement are not being accepted at all. For the second leg itself, Qarabag are offered at 1.17 to win in regular time, a draw is priced at 7.75, and Shelbourne’s win is at 14.00. Over 2.5 total goals is set at 1.36, and both teams to score is priced at 1.99, indicating that experts expect a high-scoring game, mostly from the home side.

Qarabag

Gurban Gurbanov’s team won the first leg in Dublin simply through superior class. Cape Verde international Leandro Andrade scored in the 13th minute. From there, the “Horsemen” controlled the game, although the final scoreline was only sealed toward the end. Ukrainian forward Oleksii Kashchuk, who came off the bench, scored in the 81st minute, followed by young Azerbaijani talent Nariman Akhundzade, who found the net in the 85th. While Qarabag are clearly still warming up for the season, even their imperfect team coordination was enough to comfortably defeat opposition of this level.

Shelbourne

It’s unlikely that Joey O’Brien will be able to replicate last season’s domestic success and claim the Irish title again. The team has had a rather mediocre first half of the season. Their attacking output in the league has been low, with most games ending in draws. This may have been the tactical plan in the first leg against Qarabag. However, an early goal from the visitors disrupted this approach immediately. Even after falling behind at home, Shelbourne made little effort to push forward and couldn’t wrest control from their more skillful opponents. It’s hard to expect a significantly better performance from them away from home.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

The statistics from the first leg are quite telling. Qarabag led in all key areas: 18:7 in shots toward goal, 8:0 in shots on target, and 5:2 in corner kicks.

Prediction

Shelbourne matches rarely produce many goals, as the team plays a sticky, unattractive style of football. Meanwhile, Qarabag won’t need to score much in the return leg. Therefore, we predict under 4 total goals at odds of 1.52.