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Dortmund's striker Marco Reus (L) vies for the ball with Qabala's midfielder Olexiy Gai during the UEFA Europa League group C football match between Qabala FK and Borussia Dortmund in Baku on October 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO / TOFIK BABAYEV        (Photo credit should read TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)
Dortmund's striker Marco Reus (L) vies for the ball with Qabala's midfielder Olexiy Gai during the UEFA Europa League group C football match between Qabala FK and Borussia Dortmund in Baku on October 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO / TOFIK BABAYEV (Photo credit should read TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)TOFIK BABAYEV/Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund vs. FK Qabala: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Lars PollmannNov 4, 2015

Borussia Dortmund host Azerbaijani side FK Qabala on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. 

Dortmund would all but clinch a spot in the round of 32 with a win, as they currently sit atop Group C with a four-point cushion over third-placed PAOK Salonika.

The German club will advance with a win if PAOK lose at FK Krasnodar on Thursday. Even if that doesn't happen, a win would give them a six-point advantage over third place regardless of the result in Russia with two matchdays to go.

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Qabala, meanwhile, have very little hope of reaching the next round, but they won't be too beaten up about it, seeing as this is their very first European campaign.

The Azerbaijani club have so far managed only one point in Group C, a goalless draw at home against PAOK on Matchday 1.

Two weeks ago, Dortmund beat Qabala 3-1 in Baku, thanks to a hat-trick from Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 26-year-old's individual brilliance covered up some noticeable defensive woes for Dortmund.

Qabala couldand probably shouldhave opened the scoring with three golden opportunities within the game's opening quarter of an hour.

Dortmund's players celebrate a goal during the UEFA Europa League group C football match between Qabala FK and Borussia Dortmund in Baku on October 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO / TOFIK BABAYEV        (Photo credit should read TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)

Date: Thursday, November 5

Time: 6 p.m. GMT / 1 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. local time

Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund

TV Info: FS2 (U.S. only)

Live Stream: BT Sport Extra (U.K. only) / Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)

Form Guide

DortmundQabala
Mainz: Win (2-0)Neftci Baku: Win (1-0)
Qabala: Win (3-1)Dortmund: Loss (1-3)
Augsburg: Win (5-1)Zira: Draw (0-0)
Paderborn: Win (7-1)AZAL Baku: Draw (0-0)
Bremen: Win (3-1)Ganca: Loss (0-1)

Predicted Lineups

Dortmund

Weidenfeller; Ginter, Papastathopoulos, Hummels, Schmelzer; Weigl, Gundogan; Mkhitaryan, Kagawa, Reus; Aubameyang.

(L-R) Dortmund's Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund's goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller Dortmund's Korean defender Joo-Ho Park and Dortmund's midfielder Julian Weigl celebrate after the UEFA Europa League Group C football match between Borussia Dortm

Head coach Thomas Tuchel has almost the entire squad at his disposal, with long-term absentees Erik Durm and Nuri Sahin the only exceptions. Roman Weidenfeller will replace Roman Burki in goal, as per usual in the Europa League. Not a lot of rotation is expected, with the game presenting a clinching scenario for the hosts.

Aubameyang missed team training on Tuesday but returned (via Ruhr Nachrichten) one day later, which should mean he's good to go. Tuchel will obviously err on the side of caution if there's any indication playing his star striker would come with a risk.

If he decides to give some players a rest, Ilkay Gundogan and Shinji Kagawa seem like the prime candidates. Gonzalo Castro or Sven Bender would be possible replacements. 

Qabala

Bezotosny; Dashdemirov, Stankovic, Vernydub, Ricardinho; Meza, Gai, Pereyra; Zenjov, Antonov, Dodo.

Ukrainian manager Roman Grygorchuk has played the same starting XI in all three Europa League matches so far.

Players to Watch

Dortmund's skipper Mats Hummels is still struggling to find his form. The World Cup winner has, surprisingly, been his side's weak link in defence for the most part of the season.

Hummels left his spot exposed in Dortmund's defensive third in the opening stages against Qabala saw the 26-year-old captain graded as the worst player on the pitch by local paper Ruhr Nachrichten.

Hummels is too good a player to struggle against this level of competition and needs a good performance on Thursday.

Dortmund's midfielder Julian Weigl (L) vies for the ball with Qabala's forward Facundo Pereyra during the UEFA Europa League group C football match between Qabala FK and Borussia Dortmund in Baku on October 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO / TOFIK BABAYEV        (Phot

Qabala, meanwhile, rued the missed chances at home to Dortmund. While Brazilian Dodo got on the scoresheet with a late consolation goal, team captain Sergei Zenjov didn't have such luck. The Estonian will look to remedy his failure to put his team in the lead at home with a goal at Dortmund.

Key Battle: Dortmund vs. Their Own Complacency and Lack of Concentration

Even more so than the first leg, this is a game Dortmund are expected to winand win big.

Dortmund's fans cheer during the German first division football Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg on October 25, 2015 in Dortmund, western Germany. Dortmund wom the match 5-1. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSEN        (Photo credit should r

Most of Qabala's players have never played in a stadium like the Signal Iduna Park, which can be a frightening place for any visiting team. Dortmund should be able to exploit that.

The game in Baku proved Thursday's visitors don't have the means to threaten Dortmund—unless they are invited to do so.

Tuchel lamented after the game in Baku, per the official club website: "We were missing the necessary focus and venom in our challenges. We defended poorly in all areas, both in the switch play of our offensive ranks and the challenges themselves."

Dortmund need to make sure they don't take a win against the visitors for granted. With the all-important Revierderby against local rivals Schalke on Sunday looming large, they need to find the right mindset for Qabala.

If they fail to do that, the visitors will have a shot at one of the biggest upsets in the competition.

Odds 

Dortmund: 1/14

Draw: 35/2

Qabala: 50/1

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.

Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.

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