Nicat Mehbaliyev: Our chances are equal in the return match

"Today, two well-organized teams of similar level faced each other on the field. "Celje" had good results in the Conference League last season. Although we had some shortcomings, we were satisfied with the overall picture. Experience comes to the fore in such matches. It was clear that the opponent was superior to us in this regard. We have a return match ahead, and we believe that we will prepare better this time and win."

Idman.biz reports that these thoughts were expressed by "Sabah" goalkeeper Nicat Mehbaliyev in his statement to Futbolinfo.az.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper emphasized that both clubs are of equal strength: "No one can claim that one side was much superior to the other. Subtle moments influenced the outcome of the match. A little skill, a little experience... Although the result was 2:3, we think that our chances are equal in the return match."

He noted that his team worked very hard physically: "It is natural for the players to get tired in the second half. We spent a lot of energy during the match. Since the opponent controlled the ball more, we mainly preferred pressing."

Mehbaliyev also shared his thoughts on the career of the new head coach Valdas Dambrauskas: "From the first day, he told us that he needs confident players. He also said that making mistakes is normal. This approach created self-confidence in us. The identity of the head coach does not matter to us. As a team, we have always maintained discipline. In football, there are inevitably both difficult times and ups and downs. I am sure that we will be better than before as time goes on."

He stated that frequent changes of head coach in "Sabah" are normal: "This is part of football. A football player can also change his team at any time. These decisions are not up to us. Our duty is to give our best in training and fulfill the requirements of the head coach."

Nicat Mehbaliyev also spoke about the duration of his contract with the club: "I currently have a one-year contract with "Sabah". Time will tell what will happen in the future."

Finally, he noted that his team has set high goals for the new season: "We wanted the championship last season as well, but we finished 5th as a result. Every football player should aim for the top. Why not?! The club management has created all kinds of conditions for us and we have a strong team. We also want to compete for the championship or medals this season."

Idman.biz