Report.az
Siyaset Asgarov, the head coach of Neftchi's women's football team, evaluated their opponent in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
The specialist gave an interview to "Report" about this.
He said that he had strange feelings because they became rivals with the "Fomget" club, with whom he won the Turkish championship as a head coach in the 2022/2023 season:
"I felt that our opponent would be the "Fomget" team, which I used to coach and with whom I experienced the joy of winning the championship as a head coach. We still have a relationship with the club's sports director, Dogan Kaya. During the conversation, we were evaluating our chances of being rivals. When I saw the name "Fomget" during the draw, I was excited. There was a time when I worked for the success of this team. Now I will be their rival. I would call the opponent a strong team. They have been making serious investments in women's football in recent years. The stadium of "Osmanlıspor", which once competed in the Turkish Super League, is now at the disposal of "Fomget". Vissa Kuch, the sister of Edvin Kuch, who is in the main team of "Neftchi", also plays for this club. They have made good transfers recently. I believe that we will fight worthy against this opponent. Our goal is to win. I hope that in the end we will be the team that advances to the second qualifying round. If we beat the Turkish team, a difficult match against the Israeli representative "Kiryat" awaits us. Currently, the head coach of "Fomget" has resigned and this position is vacant."
S. Asgarov emphasized that the possibility of holding the games of Group IV in Turkey is high:
"The meetings will probably be held in Ankara. Because they are very eager in this matter. Even the president of the club, Yalcin Demircol, personally participated in the draw ceremony. Moreover, their stadiums are considered more suitable for such meetings. For this reason, I think the matches will be held in Ankara."
It should be noted that the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League will consist of semi-final and final matches. If "Neftchi" beats the Turkish club in the semi-final, they will face the Israeli representative "Kiryat" in the final. The team that wins this match will qualify for the second qualifying round.
The games of Group IV will be held in Turkey, Israel or Azerbaijan, which will be determined based on the agreement between the parties. The semi-final matches of the first qualifying round will be held on July 30, and the final matches will be held on August 3.
