BAKU, Azerbaijan (Interstat) — A rematch of the Premyer Liqa’s most bitter rivalry arrives Sunday, April 26, as Neftçi PFK hosts Qarabağ Ağdam FK at Bakcell Arena. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 2-1 victory for the visiting champions.

Qarabağ enters the fixture holding a 2-0 win from their most recent meeting Nov. 9. However, the visitors suffered a surprising 1-0 loss last Saturday at Sabah FK, snapping a dominant stretch. Prior to that stumble, Qarabağ had outscored opponents 25-1 across seven consecutive wins, including a 7-0 rout of Karvan and a 6-0 demolition of Araz-Naxçıvan. Their defensive solidity over that span—eight clean sheets in their last nine outings before the Sabah defeat—remains their hallmark.

Neftçi, meanwhile, arrives on a more ambivalent run. They drew 1-1 with Zirə on April 17 in their most recent result. Before that, the home side had won three of four, including a 3-1 victory at Genclerbiryi Sumqayıt and a 6-0 thrashing of İmişli FK. Yet inconsistency has plagued them: they lost 1-0 to Turan on March 9 and 2-0 to Sabah in December. In their lone meeting with Qarabağ this season, Neftçi managed no answer against the visitors’ attack.

The match carries added weight as the same teams will face off again Thursday, April 30, in a rare back-to-back league scheduling. For Neftçi, a home win would be critical to close the gap on Qarabağ, who have dominated the head-to-head in recent seasons. The visitors, stung by the Sabah loss, will look to reassert their authority in the title race. Kickoff is set for Sunday at Bakcell Arena.