2018–19 Azerbaijan Premier League
Football league season
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The 2018–19 Azerbaijan Premier League was the 27th season of the Azerbaijan Premier League. It was won by the defending champions Qarabağ, for their sixth consecutive championship title. The season began on 11 August 2018.[1]
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 August 2018 – 11 May 2019 |
| Champions | Qarabağ |
| Champions League | Qarabağ |
| Europa League | Neftçi Baku Sabail |
| Matches | 112 |
| Goals | 285 (2.54 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Mahir Emreli (16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Qarabağ 5–1 Keşla (3 December 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Zira 0–6 Qarabağ (9 December 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Zira 0–6 Qarabağ (9 December 2018) |
← 2017–18 2019–20 →
All statistics correct as of 11 May 2019. | |
The winner of the league this season earned a spot in the first qualifying round of the 2019–20 Champions League, and the second and third placed clubs earned a place in the first qualifying round of the 2019–20 Europa League.[2]
Teams
Kapaz was relegated at the conclusion of the previous season.[1] Sabah were promoted and participated in the Premier League this season.[3]
Locations of the 2018–19 Azerbaijan Premier League teams.
Team in italics is from a zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and is playing its home games in Baku.
Team in italics is from a zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and is playing its home games in Baku.
Stadia and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Year Established | Location | Venue | Capacity[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabala | 1995[5][6] | Qabala | Gabala City Stadium | 4,500 |
| Keşla | 1997[7] | Keshla | ASK Arena | 8,125 |
| Neftchi Baku | 1937 | Baku | Bakcell Arena | 10,500 |
| Qarabağ | 1951 | Aghdam | Azersun Arena {Baku} | 5,800 |
| Sabah | 2017 | Baku | Alinja Arena | 13,000 |
| Sabail | 2016 | Səbail | Bayil Arena | 5,000 |
| Sumgayit | 2010 | Sumqayit | Kapital Bank Arena | 1,500 |
| Zira | 2014 | Zira | Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium | 1,400 |
Stadiums
| Gabala | Keşla | Neftchi Baku | Qarabağ |
| Gabala City Stadium | ASK Arena | Bakcell Arena | Azersun Arena |
| Capacity: 4,500 | Capacity: 8,200 | Capacity: 10,500 | Capacity: 5,800 |
 | |||
| Sabah | Sabail | Sumgayit | Zira |
| Alinja Arena | Bayil Arena | Kapital Bank Arena | Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium |
| Capacity: 13,000 | Capacity: 3,200 | Capacity: 1,500 | Capacity: 1,400 |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Team captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabala |  Sanan Gurbanov |
Javid Huseynov |
Joma | QafqaZ Hotels[8] |
| Keşla | Tarlan Ahmedov |
Kamran Aghayev |
Joma | Samaya LTD |
| Neftchi Baku |  Roberto Bordin |
Ruslan Abışov |
Nike | |
| Qarabağ | Gurban Gurbanov |
Rashad Sadygov |
Adidas | Azersun Holding |
| Sabah | Elshad Ahmadov |
Javid Imamverdiyev |
Macron | Bank Respublika |
| Sabail | Aftandil Hajiyev |
Rahid Amirguliyev |
Macron | AzTea |
| Sumgayit | Aykhan Abbasov |
Vurğun Hüseynov |
Macron | Pasha Insurance |
| Zira | Samir Abbasov |
Kamal Bayramov |
Joma | Santral Electric |
Foreign players
A team could use only six foreign players on the field in each game.
In bold: Players that capped for their national team.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointmentr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabala |  Roman Hryhorchuk |
End of contract | 29 May 2018[9] | Pre-season | Sanan Gurbanov |
30 May 2018[10] |
| Neftchi Baku | Tarlan Ahmedov |
End of contract | 31 May 2018[11] | Pre-season | Roberto Bordin |
8 June 2018[12] |
| Sabail | Samir Aliyev |
Mutual consent | 22 May 2018[13] | Pre-season | Aftandil Hajiyev |
11 June 2018[14] |
| Sumgayit | Samir Abbasov |
End of contract | 20 May 2018 | Pre-season | Nazim Suleymanov |
7 June 2018[15] |
| Sabah | Arif Asadov |
End of contract | Pre-season | Elshad Ahmadov |
||
| Keşla | Yuriy Maksymov |
Sacked | 17 July 2018[16] | Pre-season |  Mladen Milinković |
25 July 2018[17] |
| Zira | Aykhan Abbasov |
Resignation | 29 August 2018[18] | 8th | Samir Abbasov |
29 August 2018[19] |
| Keşla | Mladen Milinković |
Sacked | 29 October 2018[20] | 7th | Tarlan Ahmadov |
30 October 2018[21] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qarabağ (C) | 28 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 65 | 21 | +44 | 66 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Neftçi Baku | 28 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 52 | 26 | +26 | 58 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Sabail | 28 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 34 | 37 | −3 | 41 | |
| 4 | Gabala | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 36 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Zira | 28 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 40 | −10 | 31 | |
| 6 | Sumgayit | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 24 | 42 | −18 | 29 | |
| 7 | Sabah | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 41 | −21 | 27 | |
| 8 | Keşla | 28 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 23 |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored.[22]
(C) Champions
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored.[22]
(C) Champions
Positions by round
| Leader and Champions League first qualifying round | |
| Europa League first qualifying round | |
| Europa League second qualifying round |
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of match played 11 May 2019
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahir Emreli |
Qarabağ | 16 |
| 2 |  Bagaliy Dabo |
Neftçi Baku | 14 |
| 3 |  James Adeniyi |
Gabala | 10 |
| 4 | Marko Dević |
Sabah | 8 |
 Filip Ozobić |
Qarabağ | ||
| 6 | Mirabdulla Abbasov |
Neftçi Baku | 7 |
| Emin Mahmudov |
Neftçi Baku | ||
 Dani Quintana |
Qarabağ | ||
| Abdellah Zoubir |
Qarabağ | ||
| 10 | Steeven Joseph-Monrose |
Gabala | 6 |
 Julio Rodríguez |
Zira |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahir Emreli | Qarabağ | Keşla | 5–1 | 3 December 2018 | [24] |
| Dani Quintana | Qarabağ | Zira | 6–0 | 9 December 2018 | [25] |
| Mahir Emreli | Qarabağ | Sabail | 4–0 | 5 May 2019 | [26] |
Clean sheets
- As of match played 11 May 2019
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salahat Aghayev |
Neftçi | 12 |
| 2 |  Vagner da Silva |
Qarabağ | 10 |
| 3 | Dmytro Bezotosnyi |
Gabala | 8 |
| 4 | Emil Balayev |
Sabail | 7 |
| Saša Stamenković |
Sabah | ||
Scoring
- First goal of the season: Mirabdulla Abbasov for Neftçi Baku against Sumgayit. (11 August 2018)