2024-03-18 15:36:24
The third round of the Azerbaijan Premier League has ended.
As reported by İdman.biz, the XXVII round brought Qarabag even closer to the championship.
Gurban Gurbanov’s team defeated Turan Tovuz with a score of 3:1. “Sumgayit” and “Sabail”, like the Tovuz team, also living the dream of European Cups, finished the tour without points.
26 point advantage
The tournament table is headed by Qarabag with 66 points. Sabah and Neftchi are 26 points behind the leader. The Baku clubs with 40 points are closely followed by “Zira” and “Sumgayit”. These two teams have 39 points each. “Sabail” has 37 points, “Turan Tovuz” has 35.
Three teams say goodbye to their championship dreams
Following the results of the XXVII round, three more teams said goodbye to their mathematical chances of winning the championship. “Turan Tovuz”, “Sabail” and “Sumgayit” also lost even their theoretical chances of winning a gold medal. Even if these teams win 9 victories, they will not be able to catch up with Qarabag, and this despite the fact that the Agdam team should not gain points. True, the representative of Sumgayit with the same name will take the lead in points. But the results of personal games overshadow the championship dream of Samir Abasov’s team.
Only three competitors left
Only three teams can stop Qarabag in the championship in 1 round, that is, 9 rounds before the end of the championship. These are “Sabah”, “Neftchi” and “Zira”. Baku clubs must win all subsequent matches. Naturally, despite the fact that the Agdam club should not win points. Thus, “Zira” will take the lead, and in order to gain an advantage in personal matches, they also need to defeat their main rival with a big score.
“Qarabag” won the award: already in European competitions
Although there are three teams that have the opportunity to beat Qarabag, only one of them can do this. Because “Sabah”, “Neftchi” and “Zira” will also play games among themselves. All three teams need to score 27 points and wait until Qarabag loses 9 times. But only one of the Baku clubs can score 27 points. The other two who lost to him will not make it to the end.
This means that Qarabag won at least a silver medal. The Aghdam club, which strengthened its place among the winners, also qualified for the European Cup.
Beginning of the circle
The IV round will take place after the break associated with the matches of national teams. “Garabagh” will be considered a nominal guest on their home field. At the Republican Stadium named after Tofik Bahramov, Gurban Gurbanov’s team will meet with Kapaz, which is striving to remain in the Premier League. In the round on March 29-31, two clubs pursuing Qarabag will meet – Sabah and Zira. “Neftchi” will be visiting Gabala. The remaining two matches at the beginning of the circle are insignificant from a championship point of view.
Don’t lose, become a champion!
At first glance, one might think that Qarabag needs a victory to secure the championship in the XXVIII round. But in reality, one point is enough for the championship. If Gurbanov’s team does not lose to Kapaz, it will become the winner of gold medals.
In case of a draw, Qarabag’s points will increase to 67. Theoretically, Sabah and Neftchi can finish the season with the same number of points. But both representatives of the capital lost to the Agdam residents in personal games. The leader who scores one point will become unattainable for Zira.
Even in defeat a championship can be won
“Garabagh”, which has not lost to “Kapaz” for many years, can win the championship even if it loses. To do this, none of his rivals – Sabah, Zira and Neftchi – must win. The Black and Whites must return from Gabala with a loss of points. The capital’s derby between the other two teams should end in a draw.
2nd star to Gurbanov
The probability of Karabakh’s defeat in the XXVIII round is very low. If there is no sensation, the Aghdam team will win the 11th championship in its history. A team that adds a 2nd star to its logo after its 10th championship will begin moving towards the third top five. This will be the third gold medal in a row. The 10th victory over the past 11 years will increase Gurbanov’s number of championship titles to 10.
Vugar Khairullaev
İdman.biz