Viktorians fought their way from the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League, as they defeated Sheriff Tiraspol in the sold-out Doosan Arena. And just minutes after the final whistle blew, the Michal Bílek’s squad found out the name of the play-off opponent. Pilsen will face Karabakh in the fight for the most famous club competition in the world.

Karabakh took the rematch against Ferencváros Budapest only one hour after our match had started. After an initial 1:1 draw, Azerbaijani managed to win the rematch 3:1 and advanced to the play-off.

We will play the first match on Wednesday, August 17 in Baku, where Karabakh play its home matches in the European cups. The opening whistle will be heard at 18:45 CET. The rematch at Doosan Arena will take place on Tuesday, August 23 at 9pm.

“All the Viktorians are living their European dream, but we still have to take one more crucial step towards the famous Champions League. And in order to make it happen, we need a sold-out stadium once again! We will inform the fans about the ticket sale soon,” said the club press spokesman Václav Hanzlík.

FK Karabakh plays its European cups matches in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku. The club was founded in 1987 and became the founding member of the Azerbaijan Premier League in 1992. Karabakh and Neftçi are the only two teams that have participated in every season of the top league so far. Their long wait for the title ended in 2014, when the club won the league for the first time after 21 years in this competition.

In the 2014/2015 season, Karabakh became only the second Azerbaijani team to advance to the European cups group stage, as they squeezed into UEFA Europa League. They topped that achievement by reaching the Champions League 3 years later. The club has no competition in their home league as far as the European cups’ matches are concerned.

Viktoria already faced Karabakh in the European cups before. In the 2016/2017 season, Pilsen challenged Karabakh in the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League. The first match in Czechia did not offer any goals. “I believe we will advance, if we score in the away match,” said Roman Hubník at that time. And it turned out he was right.

31 thousand fans showed up to the match in Baku at the Tafiq Bahramov stadium! And the home team took the lead, as it was heavily boosted and driven by the fans’ support. However, 5 minutes before the final whistle, Jan Kopic’s passed to Krmenčík and his goal directed Viktoria to the play-off of the most prestigious club competition.

And we hope and believe we will emerge victorious from the fight against Karabakh once again!