"From the new season, the removal of the foreign player limit will play a significant role in the championship. Success will only be possible with the right transfers. Teams that acquire quality players will achieve better results. Therefore, I believe the upcoming season will be very challenging."
These remarks were made by Fuzuli Mammadov, former head coach of “Neftchi” and Azerbaijan’s U-18 national team, in an interview with AZERTAC ahead of the start of the 2025-2026 Misli Premier League season, which kicks off today, Idman.biz reports.
The expert listed the teams he considers favorites for the title and European competitions: “I follow our teams’ friendly matches and their games in European tournaments. In my opinion, the main contenders for the championship are ‘Qarabag’ and ‘Sabah’. However, looking at transfers, ‘Neftchi’ can also be mentioned. Additionally, ‘Zira’ and ‘Turan Tovuz’ are ambitious. For a spot in European competitions, clubs like ‘Araz-Nakhchivan’, ‘Zira’, and ‘Turan Tovuz’ will compete. These clubs, along with ‘Shamakhi’, could finish in the top six by the end of the season. Although Shamakhi has limited financial resources, the head coach’s work will make a difference.”
The experienced coach emphasized that “Kapaz”, “Gabala”, “Imishli”, “Karvan-Yevlakh”, and “Sumgayit” will mainly fight to stay in the league: “I had the opportunity to watch the preparation matches these teams played. Based on my observations, ‘Sumgayit’ and ‘Shamakhi’ stand out positively compared to the others. Sumgayit could be one of the season’s surprise teams. The work of the coach at ‘Gabala’ is commendable, but some positions definitely require transfers to succeed. Otherwise, achieving the desired results will be difficult. It is too early to say which teams will be relegated. As the championship progresses and more games are played, we will be able to form a more accurate opinion.”
The new season of the Misli Premier League will start on August 15.
Idman.biz
