In today's match, Qarabag surprised everyone with their performance. Many did not believe Qarabag had the strength to hold Bayer Leverkusen to a draw given Leverkusen's exceptional form. The game even seemed poised for a Qarabag victory, but Leverkusen was fortunate enough to salvage a draw in the dying minutes of the match
I think Qarabag could surprise us in the first half because Xabi Alonso used Leverkusen second lineup. Just look at the starting lineup, there are too many substituted players there. When Xabi Alonso released some main players in the second half, they could score 2 goals. The two goals were made by Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick. These 2 players were in the bench in first half, they just played in second half of the match.
If Xabi used their main lineup, I'm sure Qarabag will have no chance to score goals and Leverkusen must lead the match since the first half. I don't know why Xabi prefers to use their second lineup. He may want to let the main player to have enough time for rest. And he will focus to play all out in the Leg 2, when they are playing at home.