Fixtures

Azerbaijan Premier League 01/17 15:00 19 Neftchi Baku vs Sabah - View
Azerbaijan Premier League 01/24 15:00 20 Araz FK vs Neftchi Baku - View
Azerbaijan Premier League 01/31 15:00 21 Neftchi Baku vs Shamakhi FK - View
Azerbaijan Cup 02/05 13:00 3 FK Kapaz vs Neftchi Baku - View
Azerbaijan Premier League 02/07 15:00 22 Zira IK vs Neftchi Baku - View
Azerbaijan Premier League 02/14 15:00 23 Neftchi Baku vs FK Qarabag - View

Results

Azerbaijan Premier League 12/21 12:00 18 [3] PFK Turan Tovuz v Neftchi Baku [7] D 1-1
Azerbaijan Premier League 12/15 14:30 17 [8] Neftchi Baku v FK Kapaz [9] W 2-1
Azerbaijan Premier League 12/08 14:00 16 [6] FK Sumqayit v Neftchi Baku [8] L 2-0
Azerbaijan Cup 12/04 14:00 4 Neftchi Baku v Difai FK W 6-0
Azerbaijan Premier League 12/01 15:00 15 [7] Neftchi Baku v FK Qarabag [2] L 0-3
Azerbaijan Premier League 11/23 15:00 14 [8] Neftchi Baku v Zira IK [4] W 2-1
Azerbaijan Premier League 11/08 11:00 13 [8] Neftchi Baku v Shamakhi FK [7] D 2-2
Azerbaijan Premier League 11/01 16:30 12 [8] Neftchi Baku v Araz FK [3] L 0-1
Azerbaijan Premier League 10/27 13:00 11 [5] Sabah v Neftchi Baku [8] D 0-0
Azerbaijan Premier League 10/19 14:00 10 [9] Neftchi Baku v Sabail FC [8] W 3-1
Azerbaijan Premier League 10/04 13:00 9 [10] FK Kapaz v Neftchi Baku [8] L 4-3
Azerbaijan Premier League 09/28 15:30 8 [9] Neftchi Baku v FK Sumqayit [7] D 1-1

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 41 21 20
Wins 13 10 3
Draws 13 5 8
Losses 15 6 9
Goals for 57 37 20
Goals against 61 25 36
Clean sheets 11 6 5
Failed to score 14 6 8

Wikipedia - Neftçi PFK

Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu, known simply as Neftçi (pronounced [nefˈtʃi]) or Neftchi Baku, is an Azerbaijani professional football club based in the capital Baku, that plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the highest tier of Azerbaijan football. The club was founded on 18 March 1937 and played under the name of Neftyanik until 1968. Since then, the club has been competing under the name of Neftçi.

Neftçi played for a total of 27 seasons in the Top Division of Soviet football. The main achievement of that period is the bronze medals of the USSR Championship won in 1966. Neftçi has won nine Azerbaijan Premier League titles, six Azerbaijan Cups and two Azerbaijan Supercup titles. The club is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Qarabağ, which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.

In 2012, Neftçi became the first Azerbaijani club to advance to the group stage of a European competition after defeating APOEL 4–2 on aggregate in the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Neftçi plays its matches at the Neftçi Arena in Baku, which also serves as the venue for Azerbaijan national team matches.

History

Soviet era (1937–1991)

Neftyanik squad from 1937 season.

The club was founded on 18 March 1937 and played under the name of Neftyanik until 1968. The first official match of Neftyanik took place on May 24, 1937. In the 1/64 finals of the Soviet Cup, Neftyanik beat FC Dinamo Yerevan (1:0). The goal scored by Pavel Shtyrlin in the 87th minute was the first in the history of Neftçi.

The team, which has played since the USSR championships in the group G, took the 11th place among 12 participants. In the same year, in the matches for the USSR Cup, Neftyanik, although he won in 1/64 and 1/32 finals in the Dinamo teams from Yerevan and Batumi, lost in the 1/16 finals from the fight, losing to the Dinamo Tbilisi.

Between 1938 and 1941, Neftyanik also played in local Azerbaijani and Caucasus championships. At the start of World War II, the players had to join the army. Mirmehdi Aghayev, who played for the club before the war, was among those killed in action. As the war drew to an end, the team gradually resumed operations and in 1944, Neftyanik returned to the Azerbaijani championship, becoming champions the following year.

Anatoliy Banishevskiy is the club's top scorer during the Soviet Union era, with an overall of 136 goals.

Neftyanik competed in the 2nd Group of the USSR championship in 1946–1948, and was qualified for the first time in its history for the 1st Group (Top League) in 1949. After Temp Baku which took part only one year in the 1st Group eleven years ago, Neftyanik became the second representative of the Republic in that level in the history of Azerbaijan football. The first Top League match was against the VVS Moscow at the then Lenin Stadium (now Ismat Gayibov Stadium). In this historic match, the team won with a score of 1:0. The first goal in group A of the championship of the USSR was recorded by Viktor Anoshkin. They finished the Top Division in 14th place in their debut season. Playing in the Top Division for two consecutive years, Neftyanik left it in 1950 and had to play in the Class B again. The team was qualified for the second time in its history for the Top League in 1960, and by playing regularly in the Top League during 1960–1965.

The 1966 season stands out in the history of Neftçi, as the club achieved its biggest success in the USSR championships by finishing third. By beating Spartak Moscow 3:0 in the last game of the championship in the current Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium on 30 November, the Black and Whites, coached by 31-year-old Ahmad Alaskarov, reached 45 points and finished only two points short of the Rostov Army Club who were second. Dynamo Kyiv won the championship with 56 points. Two years later, in 1968, the club began the 30th USSR championship as Neftçi rather than Neftyanik.

Neftçi dropped to the Second Division in 1972 and spent the 1973–76 seasons there. Elbrus Abbasov played a great role in the team's comeback. By scoring 28 goals, he became the Second Division's top scorer, helping the Black and Whites finish second and qualify for the top flight again. In 1987 season, Neftçi coached by Aghasalim Mirjavadov, finished the championship in 9th place, registering its best performance since 1971. The team was known for its attacking trio which included Isgandar Javadov, Mashalla Ahmadov and Igor Ponomaryov. 1988 was a disappointing season for the club, as they finished 15th and were relegated to the Second Division. Aghasalim Mirjavadov coached them in the first half of the season and Yuriy Kuznetsov in the second, but neither could save the team from relegation.

Domestic hegemony (1991–2012)

Flavinho is Neftçi's first foreign captain.

Neftçi won the first Azerbaijani national championship having begun as clear favourites, since many of the players playing for the club at the end of the Soviet period remained. The team was coached by Ahmad Alaskarov. Another success came three years later. In 1995, Neftçi, led by Vagif Sadygov, defeated all rivals in the fight for the Cup of Azerbaijan. 1995–1996 season, Neftçi finished with a "golden double" — won the national championship and became the owner of the Cup. This success was achieved thanks to the efforts of coaches Vagif Sadygov, Asif Aliyev and Kazbek Tuaev.

In 2006, Neftçi managed to win the CIS Cup after defeating FBK Kaunas of Lithuania in the final. In European competitions, the club also have advanced to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League twice, having defeated Bosnian champions – NK Široki Brijeg – and Icelandic champions – FH Hafnarfjarðar – in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Neftçi advanced to the third round of the 2008 Intertoto Cup, after defeating the Slovak club FC Nitra and the Belgian side K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot in the first two rounds.

A long period of decline followed the success of the 2005 to the end of the decade. Despite the appointment of famous names such as Gurban Gurbanov, Vlastimil Petržela, Anatoliy Demyanenko and Hans-Jürgen Gede, the club did not achieve any success and squandered large sums of money on unsuccessful signings.

Prospects changed positively in December 2009 when the club's control was given to Sadıq Sadıqov. The takeover was immediately followed by a flurry of bids for high-profile international players such as Bahodir Nasimov, Nicolás Canales, Flavinho, Bruno Bertucci, Eric Ramos, Igor Mitreski and Julius Wobay. In May 2011, coached by Arif Asadov, the club won its sixth championship title. Asadov also become the first person in Azerbaijan to win the league title as a coach and football player. However, Asadov was dismissed after the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the qualifying round of the Champions League 2011–2012 season.

In the 2011–12 season, Boyukagha Hajiyev guided Neftçi to another domestic success as the club become champions for seventh time in their history. In November 2011, Neftçi celebrated its 1,000th victory in official matches and its 1,000th goal in Azerbaijan League, scored by Araz Abdullayev.

European breakthrough (2012–present)

Under Hajiyev's management, Neftçi became the first team to represent Azerbaijan in the group stage of a European competition.

In 2012, Neftçi qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League group stage, being the first Azerbaijani team to advance to this stage in a European competition. Neftçi managed to get three points in six matches, drawing with Partizan both times and holding Internazionale away at the San Siro.

A third consecutive Premier League title followed in 2012–13. Neftçi then won the Azerbaijan Cup on 28 May 2013 to secure the domestic double. Following Neftçi's early exit from European cups, Boyukagha Hajiyev resigned from his post. Following defeat at 2013 Azerbaijan Supercup, Nazim Suleymanov was appointed as Neftçi's new manager after Tarlan Ahmadov was sacked just three months in charge. On 8 January 2014, Suleymanov resigned as manager after a transfer fund dispute. In May 2014, despite finishing fourth, Neftçi managed to win Azerbaijan Cup. In August 2014, the club reached Europa League play-off round after defeating Chikhura Sachkhere on aggregate.

On 2 November 2014, Neftçi club president Sadygov stated that the club was experiencing financial difficulties. In 2015, it was announced that the club would become a public limited company – Neftchi PLC, while the club's new president would be Chingiz Abdullayev.

On 8 June 2018, Roberto Bordin was announced as Neftçi's new manager on a two-year contract. Under the head coach of Roberto Bordin, the team finished Azerbaijan Premier League in second place and they have advanced two qualifying rounds in the UEFA Europa League. On 18 January 2020, the club officially announced that the contract with Bordin mutually terminated, and he was replaced temporarily by his assistant Fizuli Mammadov.

On 11 November 2020, Samir Abasov was appointed manager. The contract between the parties was signed until the end of the 2021/2022 season. In the first season under his coach, the club won the Azerbaijan Premier league after 7 years again.

On 11 July 2023, Adrian Mutu was appointed as Neftçi's new Head Coach on a two-year contract.

On June 26, 2024, Roman Hryhorchuk was appointed as club's head coach. On October 7, 2024, his contract with the club was terminated by mutual agreement. Under his leadership, Neftçi played in 9 rounds of the Azerbaijani Premier League, recording 5 draws and 4 losses.

Neftchi Baku is a professional soccer team based in Baku, Azerbaijan. The team was founded in 1937 and has a rich history of success in Azerbaijani football. Neftchi Baku is known for its passionate fan base and competitive spirit on the field.

The team plays their home matches at the Bakcell Arena, a modern stadium located in the heart of Baku. Neftchi Baku has a strong rivalry with other Azerbaijani clubs, particularly with Qarabag FK.

Neftchi Baku has won numerous domestic titles, including Azerbaijani Premier League championships and Azerbaijani Cup victories. The team has also competed in European competitions, showcasing their talent on an international stage.

The players of Neftchi Baku are known for their skill, determination, and teamwork. The team is led by a dedicated coaching staff who work tirelessly to ensure the success of the club.

Overall, Neftchi Baku is a respected and formidable force in Azerbaijani soccer, with a proud history and a bright future ahead.