Sabah midfielder Aleksey Isayev has said that the Azerbaijani championship is stronger than it is generally perceived to be in Russia.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Isayev, who has been playing in Azerbaijan for eight years, highlighted the competitiveness and quality of the country's leading clubs.
"Almost everyone in Russia thinks the Azerbaijani league is weak. But honestly, I have been here for eight years, and there are some very strong teams. Kurban Bekievich Berdyev is currently working at Turan Tovuz. They are a very strong team with their own style of play. Neftchi are the eternal flagship of Azerbaijani football. I don't even need to say anything about Qarabag. There are also Zira and other teams. The championship is very difficult and genuinely competitive," Isayev told odds.ru.
According to the midfielder, Azerbaijani clubs are also capable of causing serious problems for their opponents in European competitions.
"No one in Europe can expect an easy game against Azerbaijani teams. The level of football here has surprised me in a positive way. There are very technical players who like to play with the ball. Foreign players also contribute to this – good-quality footballers come here," he added.
Asked to compare the Azerbaijani championship with the Russian Premier League, Isayev singled out Qarabag and Sabah.
"I think Qarabag and Sabah would not be inferior to anyone in the Russian Premier League. I can say with 100 percent confidence that they would do very well in the RPL," the midfielder stressed.
Sabah defeated Israel's Hapoel Beer-Sheva 5-2 after extra time in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie on Tuesday, securing a place in the main stage of the competition for the first time in the club's history.
Isayev came on in the 63rd minute and made a significant contribution to the historic victory, providing two assists.
