Performance anxiety plagues Qarabağ

According to some tipsters, Qarabağ FK are the favourites to win their final UEFA Europa League Group F game, at home to FC Internazionale Milano, and become the first Azerbaijani team to reach the spring phase of a major UEFA club competition.

Inter are already certain to top the section, and with Roberto Mancini expected to rest some key players for Thursday's game in Baku, Gurban Gurbanov's Qarabağ seem to have a brilliant chance to get the victory they require to claim second place. However, having twice held AS Saint-Étienne and won 1-0 at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk – the first win for an Azeri club in a major UEFA group stage – Qarabağ are finding themselves under huge pressure to perform.

"It's a tough match," explained 32-year-old captain Rashad F Sadygov. "Everyone knows how hard it is to win in Serie A, so just imagine what it is like to play against an Italian club in Europe. Obviously we'll do all we can to win. They say Roberto Mancini will not take his best players to Baku, but I'm not sure that's a plus for us. The ones that need playing time will do all they can to impress their coach. Players are usually really aggressive in these situations, so we will have problems.

"We have to cope with the absence of some of our key players too," continued the defender, who also captains the Azerbaijan national team. "Three of our Brazilian players are injured, while [prolific Nigerian striker] Innocent Emeghara is not registered to play in the group stage. We will be playing in front of our fans and sometimes this adds to the pressure. We have a huge responsibility and just can't let them down. So we have to be patient and hope God will help us."

Had anyone said in August that Qarabağ would go into matchday six with a possibility of qualifying for the round of 32, they would have received some quizzical looks in Baku. Gurbanov's side were regarded as having achieved a huge coup by beating FC Twente on away goals in the play-offs to become only the second team – after Neftçi PFK two years ago – to make it to the group stage. The pressure is on now, though, to pull off something unprecedented.

With 94 caps to his name, the task may fall to Sadygov to calm his team-mates on the field. He knows the occasion is a big one, but hopes his side have gained some composure from their experiences this term. "Of course this game is special, but national team matches are bigger," he said. "The away leg against Twente was as important as this one, so I have had even more important games in my career. But I know this will be memorable too."