New season predictions from Fuzuli Mammadov: Championship contenders, favorite teams and the struggle to stay in the league

"The abolition of the legionnaire limit from the new season will play a serious role in the championship. Success will only be possible with the right transfers. Teams that buy quality players will perform better. For this reason, I think the upcoming season will be very difficult."

Idman.biz reports that Fuzuli Mammadov, the former head coach of Neftchi and the Azerbaijan U-18 national team, said this in an interview with AZERTAC while talking about the 2025-2026 season of the Misli Premier League, which will start today.

The expert listed the names of the teams he considers favorites in the fight for the championship and European Cups: "I follow our teams' test matches and games in European Cups. In my opinion, the main contenders for the championship are "Qarabag" and "Sabah". However, if we look at the transfers, we can also mention "Neftchi". In addition, it should be noted that "Zira" and "Turan Tovuz" are also ambitious. The clubs "Araz-Nakhchivan", "Zira" and "Turan Tovuz" will compete for a place in the European Cups. These teams, as well as "Shamakhi", may be in the top six at the end of the season. Although "Shamakhi" has limited financial resources, the head coach's work will make this possible."

The experienced expert emphasized that "Kapaz", "Gabala", "Imishli", "Karvan-Yevlakh" and "Sumgayit" will mainly fight to stay in the league: "I had the opportunity to watch the matches these teams played to prepare for the new season. Based on my observations, I can say that "Sumgayit" and "Shamakhi" are positively different from the others. Sumgayit representative may be one of the surprise teams of the season. The work of the head coach in "Gabala" is commendable, but successful transfers are necessary for some positions for a successful performance. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve the desired result. It is difficult to say which teams will be relegated to the First League from now on. As the championship continues and the games increase, it will be possible to make a more accurate assessment."

It should be noted that the new season in the Misli Premier League will start on August 15.

Idman.biz