# 2013–14 Azerbaijan Premier League

The 2013–14 Azerbaijan Premier League was the 22nd season of Azerbaijan Premier League, the Azerbaijani professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. Neftchi Baku were the defending champions, having won the previous season.

## Teams

Kəpəz and Turan were relegated from the 2012–13 Azerbaijan Premier League.
The format of the league changed as a total of 10 teams contested the league, with two clubs relegated in the previous season and no teams promoted from the first division. The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from August to May, each club plays every other club four times, twice at home and twice away, for a total of 36 games.
As of this season, PFL announced that each player will have to wear not only the number, but also his name on the back of the jersey.

### Stadia and locations

    Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Venue | Capacity |
| AZAL | Baku | AZAL Stadium | 3,000 |
| Baku | Baku | FC Baku's Training Base | 2,000 |
| Gabala | Gabala | Gabala City Stadium | 4,000 |
| Inter | Baku | Shafa Stadium | 8,000 |
| Khazar | Lankaran | Lankaran City Stadium | 15,000 |
| Neftchi | Baku | Bakcell Arena | 11,000 |
| Qarabağ | Ağdam | Tofig Bahramov Stadium | 31,200 |
| Ravan | Baku | Bayil Stadium | 5,000 |
| Simurq | Zaqatala | Zaqatala City Stadium | 3,500 |
| Sumgayit | Sumqayit | Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium | 16,000 |

### Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Team captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| AZAL | Vagif Sadygov | Jahangir Hasanzade | Umbro | Silk Way |
| Baku | Milinko Pantić | Elvin Mammadov | Kappa | |
| Gabala | Yuri Semin | Volodimir Levin | Joma | Pepsi |
| Inter | Kakhaber Tskhadadze | Vagif Javadov | Umbro | IBA |
| Khazar | Mustafa Denizli | Rahid Amirguliyev | Puma | Palmali |
| Neftçi | Boyukagha Hajiyev | Rashad Sadiqov | Adidas | SOCAR |
| Qarabağ | Gurban Gurbanov | Rashad Sadygov | Adidas | Azersun |
| Ravan | Güvenç Kurtar | Ramazan Abbasov | Legea | Nissan |
| Simurq | Giorgi Chikhradze | Ruslan Poladov | Joma | |
| Sumgayit | Agil Mammadov | Samir Abbasov | Umbro | Azerkimya |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Baku | Božidar Bandović | Sacked | 20 May 2013 | Pre-season | Milinko Pantić | 14 June 2013 |
| Gabala | Luis Aragón (caretaker) | End of tenure as caretaker | 20 May 2013 | Pre-season | Yuri Semin | 21 May 2013 |
| Sumgayit | Bernhard Raab | Resigned | 11 June 2013 | Pre-season | Agil Mammadov | 12 June 2013 |
| Neftchi | Boyukagha Hajiyev | Resigned | 25 July 2013 | Pre-season | Tarlan Ahmadov | 26 July 2013 |
| Ravan | Ramil Aliyev | Resigned | 12 August 2012 | 10th | Vladislav Kadyrov | 12 August 2013 |
| Ravan | Vladislav Kadyrov | Sacked | 5 October 2013 | 9th | Shahin Diniyev | 7 October 2013 |
| Neftchi | Tarlan Ahmadov | Sacked | 23 October 2013 | 2nd | Nazim Suleymanov | 25 October 2013 |
| Khazar | John Toshack | Resigned | 22 November 2013 | 8th | Giovanni Melkiorre (caretaker) | 22 November 2013 |
| Khazar | Giovanni Melkiorre (caretaker) | End of tenure as caretaker | 3 December 2013 | 8th | Mustafa Denizli | 3 December 2013 |
| Ravan | Shahin Diniyev | Resigned | 3 January 2014 | 9th | Güvenç Kurtar | 3 January 2014 |
| Neftchi | Nazim Suleymanov | Resigned | 8 January 2014 | 3rd | Boyukagha Hajiyev | 11 January 2014 |
| AZAL | Vagif Sadygov | Sacked | 16 March 2014 | 8th | Tarlan Ahmadov | 17 March 2014 |
| Khazar | Mustafa Denizli | Mutual Termination | 16 May 2014 | 6th | TBD | TBD |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Qarabağ (C) | 36 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 65 | 21 | +44 | 72 | Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Inter Baku | 36 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 60 | 37 | +23 | 67 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Gabala | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 48 | 36 | +12 | 61 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Neftçi Baku | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 47 | 43 | +4 | 60 | Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Baku | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 57 | |
| 6 | Khazar Lankaran | 36 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 49 | |
| 7 | Simurq | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 46 | |
| 8 | AZAL | 36 | 6 | 13 | 17 | 29 | 49 | −20 | 31 | |
| 9 | Sumgayit | 36 | 5 | 10 | 21 | 27 | 61 | −34 | 25 | |
| 10 | Ravan Baku (R) | 36 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 66 | −44 | 22 | Relegation to Azerbaijan First Division |

## Season statistics
### Scoring

* First goal of the season: Mindaugas Kalonas for Baku against Gabala (2 August 2013)
* Fastest goal of the season: 2nd minute,
** Ernest Nfor for Neftchi Baku against Baku (10 November 2013)
* Latest goal of the season: 94 minutes,
** Shahriyar Rahimov for AZAL against Ravan Baku (8 December 2013) Mahir Shukurov for Neftchi Baku against Gabala (15 December 2013)
* Largest winning margin: 5 goals
** Baku 5–0 Ravan Baku (18 August 2013)
* Highest scoring game: 7 goals
** Qarabağ 4–3 Gabala (3 November 2013)
* Most goals scored in a match by a single team: 5 goals
** Qarabağ 5–1 Sumgayit (11 August 2013)
** Baku 5–0 Ravan Baku (18 August August 2013)
** Ravan Baku 1–5 Inter Baku (25 August 2013)
* Most goals scored in a match by a losing team: 2 goals
** Gabala 3–2 Inter Baku (3 August 2013)

#### Top scorers

    As of 12 May 2014
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Reynaldo | Qarabağ | 22 |
| 2 | Vagif Javadov | Inter | 14 |
| 4 | Dragan Ćeran | Simurq | 13 |
| 3 | Danijel Subotić | Gabala | 12 |
| 5 | Mbilla Etame | Khazar | 11 |
| 6 | Bachana Tskhadadze | Inter | 10 |
| 7 | Leroy George | Qarabağ | 9 |
| 8 | Rauf Aliyev | Baku | 8 |
| 8 | Chumbinho | Qarabağ | 8 |
| 8 | Afran Ismayilov | Baku | 8 |
| 8 | Will John | AZAL | 8 |
| 12 | Leonardo | Gabala | 7 |
| 12 | Bahodir Nasimov | Neftchi | 7 |
| 12 | Stjepan Poljak | Simurq | 7 |
| 12 | Nildo | Khazar | 7 |
| 12 | Lorenzo Ebecilio | Gabala | 7 |

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Bachana Tskhadadze | Inter | Ravan | 5–1 | 25 August 2013 |
| Reynaldo | Qarabağ | Neftchi | 4–1 | 28 February 2014 |
| Reynaldo | Qarabağ | Inter | 4–1 | 7 May 2014 |

### Clean sheets

* Most clean sheets: 18
** Qarabağ
* Fewest clean sheets: 4
** Sumgayit

### Discipline
#### Player

* Most yellow cards: 16
** Aleksandr Shemonayev (AZAL)
* Most red cards: 3
** Elvin Yunuszade (Neftchi Baku)
** Ilkin Qirtimov (Simurq)

#### Club

* Most yellow cards: 112
** Ravan Baku
* Most red cards: 13
** Neftchi Baku

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month |
| Month | Player | Club |
| August | Javid Huseynov | Baku |
| September | Afran Ismayilov | Baku |
| October | Reynaldo | Qarabağ |
| November | Vagif Javadov | Inter Baku |
| December | Danijel Subotić | Gabala |
| February | Reynaldo | Qarabağ |
| March | Reynaldo | Qarabağ |
| April | Richard Almeida | Qarabağ |
| May | Reynaldo | Qarabağ |
Last updated: 11 November 2013 Source: Azerbaijan Premier League

#### PFL Team of the Year

The PFL team of the year was:
* Goalkeeper: Giorgi Lomaia (Inter)
* Defence: Bruno Bertucci (Neftchi), Mahir Shukurov (Neftchi), Denis Silva (Neftchi), Yohan Bocognano (Inter)
* Midfield: David Meza (Inter), Richard Almeida (Qarabağ), Leroy George (Qarabağ), Chumbinho (Qarabağ)
* Attack: Reynaldo (Qarabağ), Ernest Nfor (Neftchi)