The interview with Samir Aliyev, former head coach of Azerbaijan’s U-21 national team:
— Qarabag will face the winner of the Shelbourne – Linfield tie in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Which team would you prefer as an opponent? Can Qarabag pass this round easily?
— Whether it is Shelbourne or Linfield, both are undesirable opponents for Qarabag because they have different playing styles. They tend to favor a more physical game and try to maximize their advantage from set-pieces. However, Qarabag is a more experienced team and has participated in the group stages of European competitions for years. From this perspective, it does not matter which team they face; Qarabag has a high chance to advance.
— Sabah will face Celje (Slovenia) in the 1st qualifying round of the Europa League. How likely is it that the capital club will achieve success under their new head coach?
— As you know, Celje had a memorable run last season in European cups. They reached the quarter-finals of the Conference League, where they were stopped by Fiorentina. Unlike Sabah, their well-known Spanish coach Albert Riera has been leading the team since 2023. Meanwhile, Sabah has newly appointed Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas, who has made a name for himself abroad. Last season, he led a team to the group stage of European cups. He must implement his style quickly at Sabah. The opponent is strong, but Sabah also has good potential and many players with high individual qualities. So, we can expect interesting matches.
— What are your expectations from Zira, which will face Croatian club Hajduk in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League?
— Hajduk is one of Croatia’s renowned clubs. They finished 3rd in the Croatian league, just 2 points behind the champion Rijeka, which indicates their strength. However, Zira had a successful European campaign last season as well, having eliminated Croatian team Osijek. I believe Zira will fight hard in these two matches and can qualify for the next stage.
— Araz-Nakhchivan will face Greek club Aris in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. This will be Nakhchivan’s debut in European competitions…
— Although Araz-Nakhchivan lacks experience in European tournaments as a team, they have many experienced players in their squad. Also, judging by their recent transfers this summer, they look ambitious enough to advance. The opponent is one of Greece’s oldest clubs with a large fan base. We have seen Azerbaijani clubs defeat Greek teams in Europe before. It will be difficult, but not impossible.
— You have played as a foreign player in Ukraine and Russia. What can you say about Mahir Emreli’s transfer to Kaiserslautern and about other Azerbaijani players who have played abroad? Which Azerbaijani players do you expect to move abroad this summer?
— The number of Azerbaijani players with the potential to move to Europe is very small today. I don’t believe the local players in Qarabag will leave this year because they have a good chance of reaching the group stage of European competitions. Looking at other clubs, I don’t currently see any young and talented players who could follow Mahir Emreli’s path. Some players might leave, but it depends on which league and club they go to.
Idman.biz
