Interview of “Turan Tovuz” defender Faig Hajiyev with Sportal.az.
“Turan Tovuz” won the opening match against “Imishli.” How would you comment on that victory?
We knew it would be a tough game, and we prepared accordingly. We fought until the end. Even though we scored late, we managed to win. It was good to start the season with a victory.
“Imishli” is a newcomer to the Premier League, yet you had difficulties against them. Was this because it was the first match of the season, or is “Imishli” a strong team?
“Imishli’s” coaching staff has built a good team. Both the fact that the season had just begun and that we didn’t know “Imishli” well enough made things difficult for us. From the first match, we could already feel that this season in the Premier League will be interesting and tough.
You captained “Turan Tovuz” in this match. In the absence of Shahriyar Aliyev, will we always see you as captain?
That was the decision of our coaches. It doesn’t matter whether I or someone else captains in the next matches. What matters is our team’s performance and victories.
Your next opponent is “Araz-Nakhchivan,” a team that had a successful start in European competitions this season and has a decent squad. Do you think you can beat them in Baku?
We know we’ll be facing a good team. They started their season earlier than us, so we can say “Araz-Nakhchivan” comes in well-prepared. We’ll also prepare well for this game to secure a victory. Our main goal in this match is to win.
From this season, there is no foreign player limit in the Premier League. Yet you are one of the few locals who gets playing time. Can you keep this up throughout the season?
I’ll try to give my very best so that it remains this way until the end. Of course, as long as the coaching staff gives me the chance, I’ll always go out on the pitch and do my best for the team.
Do you think this season you can finally secure a spot in European competitions? Do you believe you are strong enough to achieve this now?
Of course, that’s our goal. We’ll fight until the end to achieve it. I hope everything will work out successfully for us.
Idman.biz
