Sabah sporting director Igor Ponomaryov has assessed the club's opponents in the UEFA Champions League league phase, describing the draw as both difficult and exciting.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Ponomaryov said it feels as though some of Europe's strongest clubs have been drawn against Sabah but stressed that such matches will provide invaluable experience.
"The results of the draw are very interesting and difficult. It seems as if Europe's strongest clubs have been drawn against us. However, facing such strong opponents is also a great experience," he said.
Ponomaryov believes the matches will give Sabah an opportunity to measure themselves against Europe's elite and help the players raise their level.
"The draw gave us very strong opponents. It feels as though Europe's strongest teams will be playing against us. But this is very useful in terms of comparing ourselves with top clubs. I am sure our players will raise their level in these matches and approach them in a completely different way.
"No matter how strong our opponents are, it does not mean that we will not fight. We will fight until the end, work hard and give everything we have to achieve our goals in the Champions League. Of course, we will try. Anything can happen - we can win or lose. But the fact that clubs of this calibre are coming to Azerbaijan is already a major event for our football," Ponomaryov told AZERTAC.
The sporting director also highlighted the importance of Sabah's U-19 team's participation in the UEFA Youth League.
"As for our youth team, playing against such big clubs will also be very interesting and useful for them. They will see first-hand how the teams of major clubs play football. Our youth football is at a certain stage of development, so participating in such a tournament and seeing how others are progressing will be a great experience for our young players.
"All of this is very positive and extremely important for our football. A football festival for U-15 players will be held in the country in October, while next year Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan will jointly host the U-20 World Cup. The players who represent the U-19 team today are candidates for the senior national team tomorrow, and these tournaments will provide them with great motivation," he added.
Sabah have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history. They will host Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Slavia Prague, while their away fixtures will be against Arsenal, Manchester United, Villarreal and Viking.
The Azerbaijani champions will begin their league-phase campaign away to Manchester United in England on September 10.
