Former Azerbaijan national team footballer Nazim Suleymanov has assessed Sabah's performances in the UEFA Champions League and shared his thoughts on the Baku club's prospects in Europe's elite competition.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Suleymanov told Teleqraf.az that Azerbaijani clubs deserve support on the European stage and emphasized that Sabah have shown encouraging signs despite their results.
"Every team representing Azerbaijan in Europe is important to us. We support them and always expect the best possible results. Although Sabah have suffered two defeats and secured one victory in three matches, they produced excellent performances in their last two games," Suleymanov said.
"Even though we lost to Borussia at home, I believe we could have earned points based on what happened on the pitch. Ultimately, the opponents' superior quality made the difference."
The former international stressed that experience plays a crucial role at the highest level of European football, particularly for clubs making their Champions League debut.
"We always expect our teams to win, but achieving victories at this level requires considerable experience. We must remember that Sabah are making their Champions League debut," he explained.
"Most of their players have never competed at this level, in the league phase of the tournament. That is a decisive factor."
Suleymanov also expressed confidence in the long-term potential of Azerbaijani football clubs.
"I believe that in the future, Sabah, Neftchi, Qarabag and our other clubs will be able to show themselves in a better light during the league phase. Our teams have the potential to achieve such results," he added.
Sabah have collected three points from their opening three Champions League matches, recording one victory and two defeats.
The Azerbaijani champions will face Norwegian side Viking away from home today, November 4, in Matchday 4 of the Champions League league phase.
The encounter is scheduled to kick off at 23:59 Baku time.
