2019–20 Azerbaijan Premier League
Football league season
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The 2019–20 Azerbaijan Premier League was the 28th season of the Azerbaijan Premier League with Qarabağ being the defending champions. The season began on 16 August 2019,[1] and prematurely ended on 19 June 2020.
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 August 2019 – 10 May 2020 |
| Champions | Qarabağ |
| Relegated | None |
| Champions League | Qarabağ |
| Europa League | Neftçi Keşla Sumgayit |
| Matches | 65 |
| Goals | 161 (2.48 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Four Players (7 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Neftçi Baku 4–1 Gabala (24 November 2019) Zira 4–1 Sabail (8 December 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Zira 0–6 Qarabağ (15 February 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Zira 0–6 Qarabağ (15 February 2020) |
| Longest winning run | Qarabağ (7 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Qarabağ (11 games) |
← 2018–19 2020–21 →
All statistics correct as of 15 February 2020. | |
Season events
On 13 March 2020, the Azerbaijan Premier League was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
On 19 June 2020, the AFFA announced that the 2019–20 edition of the Azerbaijan Premier League had officially ended without the resumption of the remaining matches due to the escalating situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan. As a result, Qarabağ were crowned champions for the seventh season in a row, whilst also qualifying for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, with Neftçi, Keşla and Sumgayit qualifying for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.[3]
Teams
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 | Keshla | ASK Arena | 5,300 |
| Neftçi Baku | 1937 | Baku | Bakcell Arena | 10,500 |
| Qarabağ | 1987 | Baku | Azersun Arena | 5,800 |
| Sabah | 2017 | Masazır | Bank Respublika Arena | 13,000 |
| Sabail | 2016 | Sabail | ASCO Arena | 3,200 |
| Sumgayit | 2010 | Sumqayit | Kapital Bank Arena | 1,400 |
| Zira | 2014 | Zira | Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium | 1,300 |
Stadiums
| Gabala | Keşla | Qarabağ | Neftçi Baku |
| Gabala City Stadium | ASK Arena | Azersun Arena | Bakcell Arena |
| Capacity: 4,500 | Capacity: 5,300 | Capacity: 5,800 | Capacity: 11,000 |
 |
![](#/media/File:"ASK_Arena"_after_replacement_of_a_covering.jpg) |
 |
 |
| Sabah | Sabail | Sumgayit | Zira |
| Bank Respublika Arena | ASCO Arena | Kapital Bank Arena | Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium |
 |
 |
||
| Capacity: 13,000 | Capacity: 3,200 | Capacity: 1,400 | Capacity: 1,300 |
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 |  Elmar Bakhshiyev |
Asif Mammadov |
Joma | Milla |
| Keşla | Tarlan Ahmadov |
Slavik Alkhasov |
Joma | Samaya LTD |
| Neftçi Baku | Fizuli Mammedov |
Emin Mahmudov |
Nike | Turkish Airlines |
| Qarabağ | Gurban Gurbanov |
Rashad Sadygov |
Adidas | Azersun |
| Sabah |  Željko Sopić |
Javid Imamverdiyev |
Macron | Bank Respublika |
| Sabail | Aftandil Hacıyev |
Rahid Amirguliyev |
Nike | AzTea |
| Sumgayit | Aykhan Abbasov |
Vurğun Hüseynov |
Jako | Pasha Insurance, Azərikimya |
| Zira | Zaur Hashimov |
Javid Huseynov |
Joma | Bakcell, Azfargroup |
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 appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabala | Sanan Gurbanov |
Resigned | 31 August 2019[7] | 8th | Elmar Bakhshiyev (interim) |
2 September 2019[8] |
| Sabah | Elshad Ahmadov |
Resigned | 16 September 2019 | 7th | Igor Ponomaryov (interim) |
19 September 2019 |
| Zira | Samir Abbasov |
Resigned | 8 October 2019 | 6th | Zaur Hashimov |
9 October 2019 |
| Sabah | Igor Ponomaryov (interim) |
End of interim role | 26 November 2019 | 6th | Željko Sopić |
26 November 2019[9] |
| Neftçi |  Roberto Bordin |
Resigned | 18 January 2020[10] | 3rd | Fizuli Mammedov |
18 January 2020[11] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qarabağ (C) | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 34 | 7 | +27 | 45 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Neftçi Baku | 20 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 33 | 14 | +19 | 37 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Keşla | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 21 | +6 | 30 | |
| 4 | Sumgayit | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 32 | −8 | 23 | |
| 5 | Zira | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 23 | |
| 6 | Sabah | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 27 | −8 | 21 | |
| 7 | Sabail | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 30 | −14 | 20 | |
| 8 | Gabala | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 19 |
Results
Clubs will play each other four times for a total of 28 matches each.
Matches 1–14 |
Matches 15–28
|
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of matches played 9 March 2020
Clean sheets
- As of match played 9 March 2020
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shahruddin Mahammadaliyev |
Qarabağ | 9 |
| 2 | Salahat Aghayev |
Neftçi | 7 |
 Stanislav Namașco |
Keşla | ||
| 4 |  Asmir Begović |
Qarabağ | 6 |
| 5 | Mehdi Jannatov |
Sumgayit | 4 |
| Anar Nazirov |
Gabala | ||