2015–16 Gabala FC season

The 2015–16 season was Gabala FK's 11th season, and their 10th in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the top-flight of Azerbaijani football. Domestically, Gabala finished 3rd in the Premier League for the third season in a row and reached the semifinals of the Azerbaijan Cup where they were defeated by Neftchi Baku. In Europe Gabala reached the group stages of the UEFA Europa League where they faced PAOK, Krasnodar and Borussia Dortmund before finishing bottom of the group.

Gabala

2015-16 season
Chairman	Tale Heydarov
Manager	Roman Hryhorchuk
Stadium	Gabala City Stadium
Premier League	3rd
Azerbaijan Cup	Semifinal
Europa League	Group Stage
Top goalscorer	League: Oleksiy Gai (10) All: Oleksiy Gai (14)
Home colours Away colours
← 2014-15 2016-17 →

Season review

In September 2015, Gabala announced a new one-year shirt sponsorship deal with QafqaZ Hotels and Resorts.^[1]

Transfers

The summer transfer window saw a lot of transfer movement from Gabala, with 14 players leaving the club and 9 players arriving. The most notable departures were the club's all-time leading goalscorer Victor Mendy returning to France,^[2] Ruslan Fomin moving to FC Atyrau in Kazakhstan,^[3] and Ekigho Ehiosun returning to parent club Gençlerbirliği S.K. Alexandru Benga, Ruslan Abışov, Adrian Ropotan, Pavol Farkaš and Mikhail Sivakow also left the clubs at the end of their contracts.^{[2][4][5][6][7]}

Arif Dashdemirov, Magomed Mirzabekov, Asif Mammadov all joined from Inter Baku PIK permanently,^[2][8] whilst Vojislav Stanković also joined from Inter Baku on an 18-month loan deal.^[9] Andrey Popovich and Samir Zargarov also joined from other Azerbaijan Premier League clubs, Sumgayit FK and Simurq PFC respectively.^[2] Sergei Zenjov moved from recently relegated Russian Premier League side FC Torpedo Moscow, Vitaliy Vernydub from FC Zorya Luhansk, Oleksiy Antonov from FC Aktobe,^[10][11] and George Florescu from Astra Giurgiu.^[12]

Transfers

Summer

Main article: List of Azerbaijan football transfers summer 2015

In: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  AZE Andrey Popovich (from Sumgayit)[2] 3 DF  SRB Vojislav Stanković (loan from Inter Baku)[9] 5 MF  ROU George Florescu (from Astra Giurgiu)[12] 7 FW  BIH Ermin Zec (from Balıkesirspor)[13] 8 MF  AZE Magomed Mirzabekov (from Inter Baku)[2] 9 FW  EST Sergei Zenjov (from Torpedo Moscow)[10] 11 MF  AZE Asif Mammadov (from Inter Baku)[2][8] 15 DF  UKR Vitaliy Vernydub (from Zorya Luhansk)[14] 17 FW  AZE Vüqar Nadirov (from Khazar Lankaran)[15] 18 MF  AZE Vadim Abdullayev (from Simurq) 21 MF  AZE Arif Dashdemirov (from Inter Baku)[2] 32 FW  ARG Facundo Pereyra (loan from PAOK)[16] 33 GK  POL Dawid Pietrzkiewicz 66 MF  AZE Samir Zargarov (from Simurq)[2] 69 FW  UKR Oleksiy Antonov (from Aktobe)[11] 70 FW  AZE Vagif Javadov (loan from Khazar Lankaran)[15][17] 87 DF  AZE Ruslan Abışov (from Khazar Lankaran)[18] 88 MF  PAR David Meza (from Inter Baku)[19]

Out: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 5 DF  AZE Sadig Guliyev (loan to Zira) 7 DF  AZE Ruslan Amirjanov (to Inter Baku) 9 FW  SEN Victor Mendy [2] 12 DF  ROU Alexandru Benga (to Petrolul Ploiești)[2][4] 14 FW  AZE Javid Huseynov (Jailed)[20] 15 DF  AZE Ruslan Abışov (to Khazar Lankaran)[5][21] 16 MF  AZE Ruslan Tagizade (to Zira)[22] 18 FW  UKR Ruslan Fomin (to Atyrau)[2][3] 25 MF  ROU Adrian Ropotan (to Petrolul Ploiești) 26 DF  SVK Pavol Farkaš (to Skoda Xanthi)[2][23] 27 FW  AZE Bakhtiyar Soltanov (to Kapaz)[2][6] 28 DF  AZE İbrahim Aslanli 30 GK  AZE Anar Nazirov (to Zira)[24] 32 MF  BLR Mikhail Sivakow (to Zorya Luhansk)[2][3][7] 55 GK  AZE Javidan Huseynzadeh [2] 88 MF  AZE Mushfig Teymurov (loan to AZAL) 90 FW  NGA Ekigho Ehiosun (loan return to Gençlerbirliği) 99 MF  AZE Tellur Mutallimov (loan to Zira)[25] — DF  AZE Rashid Amiraslanov — MF  AZE Tarzin Jahangirov (loan to Zira, previously on loan to Sumgayit)[26]

Winter

Main article: List of Azerbaijan football transfers winter 2016

In: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 5 DF  AZE Pavlo Pashayev (from Metalurh Zaporizhya)[27][28] 32 FW  AZE Rashad Eyyubov (from Kapaz) [29] — FW  BRA Emerson (Trial)[30]

Out: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 5 MF  ROU George Florescu (to Omonia)[31] 17 FW  AZE Vüqar Nadirov (to Inter Baku)[32][33] 32 FW  ARG Facundo Pereyra (loan return to PAOK)[34] 70 FW  AZE Vagif Javadov (loan return to Khazar Lankaran)[32] 88 MF  PAR David Meza (to Cerro Porteño)[35][36] — MF  AZE Mushfig Teymurov (to Shamkir, previously on loan to AZAL)

Squad

As of match played 20 May 2016^[37][38]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of birth (Age)	Signed from	Signed in	Contract ends	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Andrey Popovich[39]		GK	(1992-03-04)4 March 1992 (aged 24)	Sumgayit	2015		10	0
22	Dmytro Bezotosnyi		GK	(1983-11-15)15 November 1983 (aged 32)	Chornomorets Odesa	2015	2016[3]	61	0
33	Dawid Pietrzkiewicz		GK	(1988-02-09)9 February 1988 (aged 28)	Free Agent	2015		12	0
36	Suleyman Suleymanov		GK	(1997-03-20)20 March 1997 (aged 19)	Trainee	2015		0	0
Defenders
2	Sahil Mirzoyev		DF	(1997-01-18)18 January 1997 (aged 19)	Trainee	2015		0	0
3	Vojislav Stanković		DF	(1987-09-22)22 September 1987 (aged 28)	loan from Inter Baku	2015	2017[9]	39	0
5	Pavlo Pashayev		DF	(1988-01-04)4 January 1988 (aged 28)	Metalurh Zaporizhya	2016	2016[27]	2	0
13	Murad Musayev		DF	(1994-06-13)13 June 1994 (aged 21)	Trainee	2012		5	0
15	Vitaliy Vernydub		DF	(1987-10-17)17 October 1987 (aged 28)	Zorya Luhansk	2015	2016[14]	22	0
20	Ricardinho		DF	(1984-09-09)9 September 1984 (aged 31)	Malmö	2015		42	1
21	Arif Dashdemirov		DF	(1987-02-10)10 February 1987 (aged 29)	Inter Baku	2015		64	1
34	Urfan Abbasov		DF	(1992-10-14)14 October 1992 (aged 23)	Qarabağ	2011		126	2
44	Rafael Santos		DF	(1984-11-10)10 November 1984 (aged 31)	Arsenal Kyiv	2014[40]	2017[35]	84	2
74	Yusif Nabiyev		DF		Trainee	2015		0	0
87	Ruslan Abışov		DF	(1987-10-10)10 October 1987 (aged 28)	Khazar Lankaran	2015	2016[18]	51	4
Midfielders
4	Elvin Jamalov		MF	(1995-02-04)4 February 1995 (aged 21)	Trainee	2013		73	0
6	Rashad Sadiqov		MF	(1983-10-08)8 October 1983 (aged 32)	Khazar Lankaran	2015		56	2
8	Magomed Mirzabekov		MF	(1990-11-16)16 November 1990 (aged 25)	Inter Baku	2015		29	0
11	Asif Mammadov		MF	(1986-08-05)5 August 1986 (aged 29)	Inter Baku	2015	2016[8]	26	3
16	Emin Zamanov		MF	(1997-12-26)26 December 1997 (aged 18)	Trainee	2015		0	0
18	Vadim Abdullayev		MF	(1994-12-17)17 December 1994 (aged 21)	Simurq	2015		1	0
19	Oleksiy Gai		MF	(1982-11-06)6 November 1982 (aged 33)	Chornomorets Odesa	2015	2016[3][41]	71	18
25	Gismat Aliyev		MF	(1996-10-24)24 October 1996 (aged 19)	Trainee	2014		8	0
37	Kamal Mirzayev		MF	(1994-09-14)14 September 1994 (aged 21)	Trainee	2012		5	0
66	Samir Zargarov		MF	(1986-08-29)29 August 1986 (aged 29)	Simurq	2015		122	14
77	Ehtiram Şahverdiyev		MF	(1996-10-01)1 October 1996 (aged 19)	Trainee	2015		2	0
Forwards
7	Ermin Zec		ST	(1988-02-18)18 February 1988 (aged 28)	Balıkesirspor	2015	2016[13]	36	10
9	Sergei Zenjov		ST	(1989-04-20)20 April 1989 (aged 27)	Torpedo Moscow	2015	2017[10]	42	5
10	Dodô		ST	(1987-10-16)16 October 1987 (aged 28)	Lokomotiva	2011	2016[42]	161	30
32	Rashad Eyyubov		ST	(1995-12-03)3 December 1995 (aged 20)	Kapaz	2016		21	2
69	Oleksiy Antonov		ST	(1986-05-08)8 May 1986 (aged 30)	Aktobe	2015	2017[11]	49	8
90	Ramil Hasanov		ST	(1996-02-15)15 February 1996 (aged 20)	Trainee	2015		0	0
97	Roman Huseynov		ST	(1997-12-26)26 December 1997 (aged 18)	Trainee	2015		4	0
Left during the season
5	George Florescu		MF	(1984-05-21)21 May 1984 (aged 31)	Astra Giurgiu	2015	2017[12]	4	0
14	Javid Huseynov		ST	(1988-03-09)9 March 1988 (aged 28)	FK Baku	2014		40	15
17	Vüqar Nadirov		ST	(1987-06-15)15 June 1987 (aged 28)	Khazar Lankaran	2015	2015[15]	0	0
32	Facundo Pereyra		ST	(1987-10-03)3 October 1987 (aged 28)	loan from PAOK	2015	2016[16]	21	5
70	Vagif Javadov		ST	(1989-05-25)25 May 1989 (aged 26)	loan from Khazar Lankaran	2015	2015[17]	5	1
88	David Meza		MF	(1988-08-15)15 August 1988 (aged 27)	Inter Baku	2015	2016[19]	10	1

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  AZE Sadig Guliyev (at Kapaz) — MF  AZE Tarzin Jahangirov (at Zira)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  AZE Tellur Mutallimov (at Zira)

Friendlies

Erzurumspor U21 v Gabala

14 June 2015	Erzurumspor U21	1 – 2	Gabala	Erzurum, Turkey
19:30 AZST (UTC+5)	H.Kadakın 38' (pen.)	Report	Gai 33', 55'	Stadium: Kazım Karabekir Stadium

Ashkalespor v Gabala

18 June 2015	Ashkalespor	0 – 10	Gabala	Erzurum, Turkey
20:00 AZST (UTC+5)		Report	Gai 12' Mammadov 15' Dodô 25', 26' S.Zargarov 48', 57', 77' Sadiqov 66' Q.Aliyev 68', 69'	Stadium: Kazım Karabekir Stadium

Gabala v Inter Baku

24 June 2015	Gabala	1 – 0	Inter Baku	Qabala
AZST (UTC+5)	Antonov 68'	Report		Stadium: Gabala City Stadium

Gabala v Inter Baku

27 June 2015	Gabala	1 – 1	Inter Baku	Qabala
20:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Huseynov 70'	Report	Aliyev 8'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium

Chornomorets Odesa v Gabala

6 September 2015	Chornomorets Odesa	0 – 2	Gabala	Odesa, Ukraine
AZST (UTC+5)		Report	Antonov 13' Vernydub 69'	Stadium: Chornomorets Stadium Attendance: 5,500

Osnabrück v Gabala

16 January 2016	Osnabrück	1 – 1	Gabala	Antalya, Turkey
17:30 AZT (UTC+4)	Pisot 83'	Report	Zec 57'

Zürich v Gabala

20 January 2016	Zürich	0 – 4	Gabala	Antalya, Turkey
AZT (UTC+4)		Report	V.Abdullayev 27' Antonov 73', 75' S.Zargarov 80'

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk v Gabala

24 January 2016	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	1 – 0	Gabala	Antalya, Turkey
AZT (UTC+4)	Edmar 39'	Report

Competitions

Azerbaijan Premier League

Main article: 2015–16 Azerbaijan Premier League

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
36	16	11	9	45	27	+18	59	6	9	4	25	15	+10	10	2	5	20	12	+8

Last updated: 15 May 2016.
Source: Soccerway

Results

Gabala v Qarabağ

10 August 2015 1	Gabala	2 – 2	Qarabağ	Qabala
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Zenjov 32' S.Zargarov  61' 87' Sadiqov  73'	Report	Richard 62' (pen.), 83' Gurbanov  75'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Aliyar Ağayev

AZAL v Gabala

15 August 2015 2	AZAL	0 – 2	Gabala	Baku
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Malikov  45' T. Hümbätov  48' T. Novruzov  76'	Report	Gai 45+1' Antonov 76'	Stadium: Dalga Arena[43] Attendance: 250 Referee: Fariz Yusifov

Gabala v Kapaz

23 August 2015 3	Gabala	1 – 0	Kapaz	Qabala
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Zec 6' Santos  74' Vernydub  83'	Report	B. Nasirov  21' T. Narimanov  58' B. Soltanov  70' S. Rahimov  81'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 900 Referee: Oerxan Mämmädov

Inter Baku v Gabala

12 September 2015 4	Inter Baku	2 – 1	Gabala	Baku
20:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Martins 10', 29' Hajiyev  88'	Report	U.Abbasov  36' Dashdemirov  64' Antonov 84'	Stadium: Inter Arena Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Rahim Häsänov

Gabala v Sumgayit

21 September 2015 5	Gabala	1 – 0	Sumgayit	Qabala
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Jamalov  69' Abışov  80' Sadiqov  82' Gai 90+2' (pen.)	Report	J.Hajiyev  84' T.Rzayev  90+1'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Omar Paşayev

Ravan Baku v Gabala

25 September 2015 6	Ravan Baku	0 – 3	Gabala	Baku
20:00 AZST (UTC+5)		Report	Dodô 37' S.Zargarov 58' 73' Gai 78'	Stadium: Bayil Stadium Attendance: 430 Referee: Elvin Äsgärov

Gabala v Khazar Lankaran

4 October 2015 7	Gabala	6 – 0	Khazar Lankaran	Qabala
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Dodô 1' Abışov  4' Pereyra 10', 79' Gai 45' Dashdemirov  56' Antonov 73' Mirzabekov  87' Zec 89'	Report	Scarlatache  61'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Rähim Häsänov

Neftchi Baku v Gabala

17 October 2015 8	Neftchi Baku	0 – 1	Gabala	Baku
15:30 AZST (UTC+5)	M.Isayev  86'	Report	Jamalov  55' Zenjov  81' Antonov  83' 90' Gai  85' Dodô  90+3'	Stadium: Bakikhanov Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Rahim Häsänov

Gabala v Zira

25 October 2015 9	Gabala	0 – 0	Zira	Qabala
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Abışov  55' U.Abbasov  64'	Report	Bonilla  90' Nazirov  90+1'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Elvin Äsgärov

Gabala v AZAL

28 October 2015 10	Gabala	0 – 0	AZAL	Qabala
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)		Report	Kvirtia  68' K.Mirzayev  83' M.Teymurov  90' Namașco  90+2'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,050 Referee: Ravan Hämzäzadä

Gabala v Kapaz

31 October 20155 11	Gabala	1 – 2	Kapaz	Qabala
18:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Antonov  67' Pereyra 69'	Report	Sytnik 2' Eyyubov  65' T.Simaitis  90+3' Dário 90+4'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Äliyar Ağayev

Gabala v Inter Baku

9 November 2015 12	Gabala	1 – 1	Inter Baku	Qabala
16:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Antonov 30' Mirzabekov  36' U.Abbasov  68' Stanković  71' Jamalov  79' Dashdemirov  90+3'	Report	Martins 35' Aghayev  77' A.Hüseynov  90+4'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Rahim Häsänov

Sumgayit v Gabala

21 November 2015 13	Sumgayit	2 – 2	Gabala	Sumqayit
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Pamuk 29' Ramazanov  63' 69' E.Mehdiyev  67' B.Hasanalizade  77' Hüseynov  87'	Report	Vernydub  31' J.Hajiyev 40' (o.g.) Ricardinho  63' S.Zargarov 71' Antonov  78'	Stadium: Kapital Bank Arena Attendance: 1,150 Referee: Elvin Äsgärov

Gabala v Ravan Baku

30 November 2015 14	Gabala	1 – 1	Ravan Baku	Qabala
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Mirzabekov  17' Pereyra 90+5'	Report	Aliyev  34' T.Gurbatov 66' Makhnovskyi  72' V.Baybalayev  78' Suma  82' Yunisoğlu  90+3'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Rauf Jabbarov

Khazar Lankaran v Gabala

6 December 2015 15	Khazar Lankaran	0 – 1	Gabala	Lankaran
16:00 AZT (UTC+4)	I.Säfärzadä  61'	Report	Antonov 20' Jamalov  49' Santos  53'	Stadium: Lankaran City Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Omar Paşayev

Gabala v Neftchi Baku

13 December 2015 16	Gabala	0 – 1	Neftchi Baku	Qabala
15:30 AZT (UTC+4)	Dashdemirov  43' Sadiqov  89'	Report	Jairo 22' 45+2' Qurbanov  37' Kurbanov  69' A.Mammadov	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Rahim Häsänov

Zira v Gabala

16 December 2015 17	Zira	1 – 0	Gabala	Baku
18:30 AZT (UTC+4)	N.Gurbanov 24' K.Bayramov  67'	Report	Jamalov  28'	Stadium: Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium Attendance: 700 Referee: Fariz Yusifov

Qarabağ v Gabala

19 December 2015 18	Qarabağ	1 – 1	Gabala	Baku
18:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Richard  71' Ismayilov 79'	Report	Zec 4'	Stadium: Azersun Arena Attendance: 2,100 Referee: Aliyar Ağayev

Kapaz v Gabala

30 January 2016 19	Kapaz	3 – 0	Gabala	Ganja
14:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Ebah 25', 75' S.Aliyev  45+1' Alasgarov 57' B.Nasirov  82'	Report	Zec  78'	Stadium: Ganja City Stadium Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Fariz Yusifov

Inter Baku v Gabala

7 February 2016 20	Inter Baku	0 – 1	Gabala	Baku
17:40 AZT (UTC+4)	Meza  55' Nadirov  89'	Report	Sadiqov  9' Zec 18' Santos  44'	Stadium: Inter Arena Attendance: 500 Referee: Rahim Häsänov

Gabala v Sumgayit

14 February 2016 21	Gabala	1 – 0	Sumgayit	Qabala
17:30 AZT (UTC+4)	Jamalov  26' Zec 69'	Report	Agayev  68' Guluzade  84' J.Hajiyev  88'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 850 Referee: Ravan Hämzäzadä

Ravan Baku v Gabala

21 February 2016 22	Ravan Baku	0 – 1	Gabala	Baku
16:30 AZT (UTC+4)		Report	Dashdemirov 77'	Stadium: Bayil Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Ömər Paşayev

Gabala v Khazar Lankaran

27 February 2016 23	Gabala	0 – 0	Khazar Lankaran	Qabala
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Gai  52' Jamalov  65' Mammadov  90+4'	Report	I.Gadirzade  68' O.Sadigli  87'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Ravan Həmzəzadə

Neftchi Baku v Gabala

5 March 2016 24	Neftchi Baku	1 – 2	Gabala	Baku
15:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Añete 26' A.Mammadov  52' Jairo  80' Qurbanov  80'	Report	Santos 50' 70' Antonov  75' Eyyubov 90'	Stadium: Bakikhanov Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Omar Paşayev

Gabala v Zira

13 March 2016 25	Gabala	1 – 2	Zira	Qabala
15:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Gai 17' Zec  30' Stanković  90+4'	Report	Mbah  24' Bonilla 40', 84' 64' V.Mustafayev  76' A.Naghiyev  90+2'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 2,200 Referee: Fariz Yusifov

Gabala v Qarabağ

19 March 2016 26	Gabala	1 – 2	Qarabağ	Qabala
15:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Zenjov 17' Zec  21'	Report	Míchel 9' Yunuszade  35' M.Mädätov 72' 87'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Aliyar Ağayev

AZAL v Gabala

30 March 2016 27	AZAL	2 – 1	Gabala	Baku
15:00 AZT (UTC+4)	K.Huseynov  5' Malikov  36' Jafarguliyev  43' T.Hümbatov 54' M.Sattarli 73'	Report	Gai 37' (pen.) Santos  65' Abbasov  67' Eyyubov  82' Zec  84'	Stadium: AZAL Arena Attendance: 400 Referee: Ingilab Məmmədov

Gabala v Inter Baku

3 April 2016 28	Gabala	0 – 0	Inter Baku	Qabala
19:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Mammadov  54'	Report	Salukvadze  59' Fomenko  90+2'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 450 Referee: Rəhim Həsənov

Sumgayit v Gabala

9 April 2016 29	Sumgayit	1 – 1	Gabala	Sumqayit
14:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Guluzade  9' Fardjad-Azad 85' (pen.)	Report	Gai  33' 65' Stanković  62'	Stadium: Kapital Bank Arena Attendance: 1,300 Referee: Omar Paşayev

Gabala v Ravan Baku

15 April 2016 30	Gabala	2 – 0	Ravan Baku	Qabala
16:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Ricardinho  68' Jamalov  73' Mammadov  76' 80' Antonov 85' Stanković  88'	Report	Yunisoğlu  54'  61'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Rauf Jabbarov

Khazar Lankaran v Gabala

23 April 2016 31	Khazar Lankaran	0 – 1	Gabala	Lankaran
16:30 AZT (UTC+4)	M.Qambarli  24' O.Sadigli  88' Mammadov  88'	Report	Gai 9' Vernydub  62' S.Zargarov  66'	Stadium: Lankaran City Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Rahim Həsənov

Gabala v Neftchi Baku

1 May 2016 32	Gabala	2 – 2	Neftchi Baku	Qabala
16:30 AZT (UTC+4)	Gai 21' (pen.) Sadiqov 51' Mirzabekov  87' Zec  90'	Report	R.Mammadov  10' Kurbanov  16' Qurbanov 32' E.Abdullayev 64'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Rauf Jabbarov

Zira v Gabala

7 May 2016 33	Zira	0 – 3	Gabala	Baku
15:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Bonilla  72' V.Igbekoi  83'	Report	Vernydub  16' Santos 26' 53' Zec  38' 47', 79' Gai Sadiqov  72' Ricardinho  88'	Stadium: Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium Attendance: 1,300 Referee: Rauf Jabbarov

Qarabağ v Gabala

11 May 2016 34	Qarabağ	2 – 0	Gabala	Masazir
19:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Quintana 17', 32'	Report	Abbasov  66' Stanković  76' Zec  90+3'	Stadium: Alinja Arena Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Rahim Həsənov

Gabala v AZAL

15 May 2016 35	Gabala	2 – 0	AZAL	Qabala
18:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Mammadov 21' Vernydub  57' Zec  79' K.Huseynov 87' (o.g.) Stanković  90'	Report	Coronado  81' Malikov  83' Guruli  90'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Revan Həmzəzadə

Kapaz v Gabala

20 May 2016 36	Kapaz	0 – 1	Gabala	Ganja
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)	B.Nasirov  17' S.Rahimov  88'	Report	Mammadov  14' S.Zargarov  27' Antonov  39' Gai 76' 90+1' Vernydub  80'	Stadium: Ganja City Stadium Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Rahim Həsənov

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Qarabağ (C)	36	26	6	4	66	21	+45	84	Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round[a]
2	Zira[b]	36	17	11	8	42	31	+11	62
3	Gabala	36	16	11	9	44	28	+16	59[c]	Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round
4	Inter Baku[d]	36	16	11	9	39	28	+11	59[c]
5	Kapaz	36	15	11	10	48	40	+8	56	Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round

Source: PFL, UEFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored.^[47]
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. Qarabağ qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2015–16 Azerbaijan Cup. However, since they already qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to the cup winners was passed down the league.
2. Zira would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence as the club has existed professionally for less than three season.^[44][45]
3. Gabala ahead of Inter Baku on head-to-head record: Inter Baku–Gabala 2–1, Gabala–Inter Baku 1–1, Inter Baku–Gabala 0–1, Gabala–Inter Baku 0–0.
4. On 31 March 2016, the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) announced that Inter Baku will be excluded from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which they would otherwise qualify in the next three seasons (i.e. the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons).^[46]

Azerbaijan Cup

Main article: 2015–16 Azerbaijan Cup

Gabala v Mil-Muğan

3 December 2015 Second round	Gabala	7 – 0	Mil-Muğan	Qabala
17:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Meza 6' S.Zargarov 16' Pereyra 22' G.Aliyev  25'  68' Ricardinho 42' Zec 44' Javadov 58' Mammadov 83'	Summary		Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Orkhan Mämmädov

Zira v Gabala

2 March 2016 Quarterfinal 1st leg	Zira	1 – 2	Gabala	Baku
18:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Bonilla 77' V.Mustafayev  84'	Summary	Zenjov  32' Gai 75' Dodô 83'	Stadium: Zira Olympic Sport Complex Stadium Attendance: 630 Referee: Rahim Hasanov

Gabala v Zira

9 March 2016 Quarterfinal 2nd leg	Gabala	5 – 1 (7 – 2 agg.)	Zira	Qabala
15:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Gai 5', 12' Sadiqov 17' Eyyubov 65' Zec 79'	Summary	N.Novruzov 36'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Rauf Jabbarov

Neftchi Baku v Gabala

27 April 2016 Semifinal 1st leg	Neftchi Baku	1 – 1	Gabala	Baku
19:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Jairo  33' Hajiyev 71' F.Muradbayli  86'	Summary	Gai 5' 74' Abbasov  41' Sadiqov  54'  84'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Aliyar Ağayev

Gabala v Neftchi Baku

4 May 2016 Semifinal 2nd leg	Gabala	1 – 1 (a.e.t.) (2 – 2 agg.) (3–4 p)	Neftchi Baku	Qabala
16:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Mammadov  20' Jamalov  44' S.Zargarov  61' Zec 76' 120'	Summary	Qurbanov 59' Ramos  61' Ailton  68'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 4,200 Referee: Fariz Yusifov
	Penalties
	Gai Antonov Zec Vernydub S.Zargarov		Ramos Jairo A.Abdullayev Añete R.Qurbanov

UEFA Europa League

Main article: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League

Qualifying rounds

Main article: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round

Dinamo Tbilisi v Gabala

2 July 2015 First qualifying round 1st leg	Dinamo Tbilisi	2 – 1	Gabala	Tbilisi, Georgia
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Gvelesiani  51' Jighauri 65' Totadze  79' Iashvili  81' Papunashvili 84'	Report	Florescu  35' Vernydub  69' Huseynov 74'	Stadium: Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena Attendance: 7,500[48] Referee: Roi Reinshreiber (Israel)

Gabala v Dinamo Tbilisi

9 July 2015 First qualifying round 2nd leg	Gabala	2 – 0 (3 – 2 agg.)	Dinamo Tbilisi	Qabala, Azerbaijan
22:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Vernydub  37' Florescu  49' Huseynov  54' Zenjov 88' Antonov 90+3'	Report	Totadze  71'	Stadium: Gabala City Stadium Attendance: 4,400[48] Referee: Amaury Delerue (France)

Čukarički v Gabala

16 July 2015 Second qualifying round 1st leg	Čukarički	1 – 0	Gabala	Belgrade, Serbia
23:30 AZST (UTC+5)	Stojiljković 53' (pen.) Brežančić  69'	Report	Florescu  21' Santos  25' U.Abbasov  61' Vernydub  74' Huseynov  80'	Stadium: Stadion Čukarički Attendance: 3,550[49] Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania)

Gabala v Čukarički

23 July 2015 Second qualifying round 2nd leg	Gabala	2 – 0 (2 – 1 agg.)	Čukarički	Baku2, Azerbaijan
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Zenjov 39', 53' 81' Santos  67' Gai  90+4'	Report	Piasentin  90+3'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 8,500[49] Referee: Radek Příhoda (Czech Republic)

Apollon Limassol v Gabala

30 July 2015 Third qualifying round 1st leg	Apollon Limassol	1 – 1	Gabala	Larnaca3, Cyprus
22:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Kolokoudias 14' Elízio  54' Lopes  69' Freire  90+2'	Report	U.Abbasov  62' Ricardinho  75' Stanković  88' Huseynov 90+5' (pen.)	Stadium: Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium Attendance: 4,540[50] Referee: Serhiy Boyko (Ukraine)

Gabala v Apollon Limassol

6 August 2015 Third qualifying round 2nd leg	Gabala	1 – 0 (2 – 1 agg.)	Apollon Limassol	Baku2, Azerbaijan
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Huseynov  35' 80' (pen.) U.Abbasov  90+1'	Report	Alexandre  31' Papoulis  34' Jaime  58' Freire  69' Sachetti  79' Vale  80' Guié  90+1'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 9,500[50] Referee: Duarte Gomes (Portugal)

Gabala v Panathinaikos

20 August 2015 Playoff round 1st leg	Gabala	0 – 0	Panathinaikos	Baku2, Azerbaijan
21:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Santos  49' Antonov  83'	Report	Zeca  31' Wemmer  63'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 10,950[51] Referee: Andre Marriner (England)

Panathinaikos v Gabala

27 August 2015 Playoff round 2nd leg	Panathinaikos	2 – 2 (2 – 2(a) agg.)	Gabala	Athens, Greece
23:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Berg 35' 40' Zeca  52' Nano  73' 78' Tavlaridis  90+1'	Report	Dodô 6', 60' Vernydub  39' Gai  62' Ricardinho  78'	Stadium: Leoforos Alexandras Stadium Attendance: 13,956[51] Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)

Group stage

Main article: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Krasnodar	6	4	1	1	9	4	+5	13	Advance to knockout phase
2	Borussia Dortmund	6	3	1	2	10	5	+5	10
3	PAOK	6	1	4	1	3	3	0	7
4	Gabala	6	0	2	4	2	12	−10	2

Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Gabala v PAOK

17 September 2015 1	Gabala	0 – 0	PAOK	Baku4, Azerbaijan
22:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Dodô  69' Antonov  90'	Report	Rodrigues  31' Tzavellas  45'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 7,500[52] Referee: Javier Estrada Fernández (Spain)

Krasnodar v Gabala

2 October 2015 2	Krasnodar	2 – 1	Gabala	Krasnodar, Russia
00:05 AZST (UTC+5)	Wánderson 8' Jędrzejczyk  73' Granqvist  82' Smolov 84' Ahmedov  87'	Report	Pereyra  45' Dodô 51' Stanković  80' Bezotosnyi  81' Sadiqov  88'	Stadium: Kuban Stadium Attendance: 8,901[53] Referee: Marcin Borski (Poland)

Gabala v Borussia Dortmund

22 October 2015 3	Gabala	1 – 3	Borussia Dortmund	Baku4, Azerbaijan
20:00 AZST (UTC+5)	Stanković  68' S.Zargarov  86' Dodô 90+3'	Report	Aubameyang 31', 38', 72' Papastathopoulos  47' Bender  83'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 10,500[54] Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)

Borussia Dortmund v Gabala

5 November 2015 4	Borussia Dortmund	4 – 0	Gabala	Dortmund, Germany
22:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Bender  14' Reus 28' Aubameyang 45' Zenjov 67' (o.g.) Mkhitaryan 70'	Report	Vernydub  8' Meza  71' Jamalov  86' S.Zargarov  90+2'	Stadium: Signal Iduna Park Attendance: 57,000[55] Referee: Sébastien Delferière (Belgium)

PAOK v Gabala

27 November 2015 5	PAOK	0 – 0	Gabala	Thessaloniki, Greece
00:05 AZT (UTC+4)		Report		Stadium: Toumba Stadium Attendance: 6,131[56] Referee: Jakob Kehlet (Denmark)

Gabala v Krasnodar

10 December 2015 6	Gabala	0 – 3	Krasnodar	Baku4, Azerbaijan
22:00 AZT (UTC+4)	Dodô  24'	Report	Kaboré  9' Sigurðsson 26' Pereyra 40' Wánderson 75'	Stadium: Bakcell Arena Attendance: 3,000[57] Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

Squad statistics

As of Match played 20 May 2016

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		Azerbaijan Cup		Europa League
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	AZE	Andrey Popovich	10	0	8	0	1	0	1	0
3	DF	SRB	Vojislav Stanković	39	0	22+2	0	3+1	0	11	0
4	MF	AZE	Elvin Jamalov	37	0	29	0	4+1	0	0+3	0
5	DF	AZE	Pavlo Pashayev	2	0	1	0	0+1	0	0	0
6	MF	AZE	Rashad Sadiqov	42	2	23+4	1	3	1	8+4	0
7	FW	BIH	Ermin Zec	36	10	16+7	7	3+1	3	4+5	0
8	MF	AZE	Magomed Mirzabekov	29	0	18+7	0	2+1	0	0+1	0
9	FW	EST	Sergei Zenjov	42	5	22+4	2	2	0	14	3
10	FW	BRA	Dodô	34	7	18+1	2	2	1	8+5	4
11	MF	AZE	Asif Mammadov	26	3	12+7	2	3+1	1	0+3	0
13	DF	AZE	Murad Musayev	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
15	DF	UKR	Vitaliy Vernydub	22	0	11	0	3	0	8	0
18	MF	AZE	Vadim Abdullayev	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
19	MF	UKR	Oleksiy Gai	53	14	34+1	10	4	4	14	0
20	DF	BRA	Ricardinho	32	1	11+5	0	2+1	1	13	0
21	DF	AZE	Arif Dashdemirov	46	1	27+3	1	2	0	10+4	0
22	GK	UKR	Dmytro Bezotosnyi	44	0	28	0	4	0	12	0
25	MF	AZE	Gismat Aliyev	7	0	5+1	0	1	0	0	0
32	FW	AZE	Rashad Eyyubov	21	2	7+10	1	1+3	1	0	0
33	GK	POL	Dawid Pietrzkiewicz	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	1	0
34	DF	AZE	Urfan Abbasov	30	0	18+3	0	3	0	6	0
44	DF	BRA	Rafael Santos	33	2	20	2	2+1	0	10	0
66	MF	AZE	Samir Zargarov	38	4	16+10	3	3	1	3+6	0
69	FW	UKR	Oleksiy Antonov	49	8	19+13	7	2+1	0	14	1
77	MF	AZE	Ehtiram Şahverdiyev	2	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	0	0
87	DF	AZE	Ruslan Abışov	19	0	17	0	2	0	0	0
97	FW	AZE	Roman Huseynov	4	0	0+3	0	0+1	0	0	0
Players away from Gabala on loan:
Players who appeared for Gabala no longer at the club:
5	MF	ROU	George Florescu	4	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
14	FW	AZE	Javid Huseynov	6	3	0	0	0	0	6	3
32	FW	ARG	Facundo Pereyra	20	5	7+7	4	1	1	3+2	0
70	FW	AZE	Vagif Javadov	5	1	2+1	0	0+1	1	0+1	0
88	MF	PAR	David Meza	10	1	2+2	0	1	1	5	0

Goal scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Number	Name	Premier League	Azerbaijan Cup	Europa League	Total
1	MF		19	Oleksiy Gai	10	4	0	14
2	FW		7	Ermin Zec	7	3	0	10
3	FW		69	Oleksiy Antonov	7	0	1	8
4	FW		10	Dodô	2	1	4	7
5	FW		32	Facundo Pereyra	4	1	0	5
	FW		9	Sergei Zenjov	2	0	3	5
7	MF		66	Samir Zargarov	3	1	0	4
8	MF		11	Asif Mammadov	2	1	0	3
	FW		14	Javid Huseynov	0	0	3	3
10	DF		44	Rafael Santos	2	0	0	2
				Own goal	2	0	0	2
	FW		32	Rashad Eyyubov	1	1	0	2
	MF		6	Rashad Sadiqov	1	1	0	2
14	DF		21	Arif Dashdemirov	1	0	0	1
	MF		88	David Meza	0	1	0	1
	DF		20	Ricardinho	0	1	0	1
	FW		70	Vagif Javadov	0	1	0	1
				TOTALS	44	16	11	71

Disciplinary record

Number	Nation	Position	Name	Premier League		Azerbaijan Cup		Europa League		Total
3		DF	Vojislav Stanković	6	0	0	0	3	0	9	0
4		MF	Elvin Jamalov	8	0	1	0	1	0	10	0
6		MF	Rashad Sadiqov	4	1	2	1	1	0	7	2
7		FW	Ermin Zec	8	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
8		MF	Magomed Mirzabekov	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
9		FW	Sergei Zenjov	1	0	1	0	1	0	3	0
10		FW	Dodô	1	0	0	0	2	0	3	0
11		MF	Asif Mammadov	4	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
15		DF	Vitaliy Vernydub	6	0	0	0	5	0	11	0
19		DF	Oleksiy Gai	5	0	1	0	2	0	8	0
20		DF	Ricardinho	3	0	0	0	2	0	5	0
21		DF	Arif Dashdemirov	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
22		GK	Dmytro Bezotosnyi	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
32		FW	Rashad Eyyubov	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
34		DF	Urfan Abbasov	5	0	0	0	2	1	7	1
44		DF	Rafael Santos	6	0	0	0	3	0	9	0
66		MF	Samir Zargarov	4	0	1	0	2	0	7	0
69		FW	Oleksiy Antonov	5	0	0	0	2	0	7	0
87		DF	Ruslan Abışov	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Players who left Gabala during the season:
5		MF	George Florescu	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	0
14		FW	Javid Huseynov	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	0
32		FW	Facundo Pereyra	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
88		MF	David Meza	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
			TOTALS	78	1	8	1	35	1	121	3

Notes

• Qarabağ have played their home games at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium since 1993 due to the ongoing situation in Quzanlı.^[58]
• Gabala played their second & third qualifying round home matches at the Bakcell Arena, Baku, instead of their regular stadium City Stadium, Qabala, due to a punishment by UEFA.^[59]
• Apollon Limassol play their home matches at Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, instead of their regular stadium Tsirion Stadium, Limassol.
• Gabala played their home matches at Bakcell Arena, Baku instead of their regular stadium, Gabala City Stadium, Qabala.
• The match between Gabala and Kapaz on 31 October 2015, was suspended in 29th minute due to server fog. The remainder of the game was played the next day, 1 November 2015, at 20:00.^[60]