There are no invincibles — or will we witness another miracle? Qarabağ vs Chelsea

Tonight in Baku, at 21:45, we — that is, hundreds of thousands of local football fans — may witness yet another miracle performed by the disciples of the chief magician of Azerbaijani football, Gurban Gurbanov.

Thirty thousand of us will see this miracle live at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium, while the rest will be glued to their TV screens.

Today may become a day to remember for every Azerbaijani football enthusiast for the rest of their lives. In fact, even those completely indifferent to football, I’m sure, will never forget this day if Aghdam’s Qarabağ manages to defeat the legendary English club Chelsea at the stadium named after the legendary Azerbaijani referee.

A club founded back in 1877 — in the previous century — that, in addition to domestic league victories, has triumphed in every European international club competition, as well as the Club World Cup. A club that, in its latest English Premier League match, faced none other than the world-renowned “Tottenham.”

And finally, we are talking about a club whose total squad value exceeds one billion euros! To be precise — €1.14 billion!

Yes, Qarabağ has already worked one miracle by defeating Benfica on their own turf. In light of that victory, even the subsequent win over Copenhagen seemed almost routine and expected. So why not repeat the feat once again — so to speak, take an encore?

True, Qarabağ still hasn’t solved its problem of a prolific striker, and many fans anxiously await the possibility of another goalless rout at the hands of Chelsea. It’s worth recalling that these two clubs already met in the group stage of the Champions League back in 2017, with Qarabağ suffering heavy defeats in both encounters — 0:6 in London and 0:4 in Baku. And considering that today’s Chelsea is, by all accounts, not only more expensive but also stronger than the one from eight years ago, these fears are far from unfounded.

But just as a bad soldier is one who does not dream of becoming a general, so too is a bad Qarabağ one that does not dream of defeating Chelsea.

And I am more than certain that the Aghdam side’s head coach, Gurban Gurbanov, has his own plan — one that allows not only for a draw, but even for a possible victory over the team that has won virtually everything in club football — London’s Chelsea.

Damn it, why not?! Why not create another sensation and turn yet another fairy tale into reality — precisely at the moment when no one expects it from you? To do so when everyone isn’t betting on Qarabağ’s victory, but rather on how many goals the team will concede against Enzo Maresca’s men.

By the way, Maresca himself is full of admiration for Gurbanov. He told British journalists: “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s incredible. Seventeen years with one club — simply unbelievable.”

Now it’s Gurbanov’s turn to speak on the pitch. After all, he has a perfect opportunity to make “Don Enzo” admire not only his longevity at the helm, but also the quality of his team’s play. Especially since we all know — if you truly believe in something and want it badly enough, it will eventually come true. Even if it seems impossible. Impossible — like Qarabağ defeating Chelsea.

Don’t you agree, ladies and gentlemen?

By Vugar Vugarli, exclusively for Caliber.Az