"I would like the Azerbaijani and Croatian national teams to compete against each other in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round." These words were said by Ivan Brkić, the former Croatian goalkeeper of "Neftçi", in his statement to Sport24.az.
The 29-year-old goalkeeper, who currently plays for the Polish club "Motor", spoke about the fact that his country's national team lost to France in the Nations League and did not end up in the same group as our team:
"A duel between the Azerbaijani and Croatian teams would be a very interesting match. However, the recent results of the Azerbaijani national team are not encouraging. Considering the overall quality, I can say that your chances are slim."
It should be noted that Ivan Brkić wore the uniform of "Neftçi" in 2022-2024. The Azerbaijani national team will face Ukraine, Iceland and France in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.