Idman.biz
"Even though "Newcastle" is considered the favorite on paper, "Qarabag" will not come out to lose this game."
These words were said by Nurlan Ibrahimov, the former press secretary of the Aghdam representative.
He shared his thoughts on the first match of the UEFA Champions League play-off stage, which "Qarabag" will hold against the English representative "Newcastle" in Baku.
"There is a point that "Qarabag" will not be fully ready for the game mentally on the eve of one of the most important matches of Azerbaijani football. This was also emphasized by the team's head coach Gurban Gurbanov after the last game. The prolongation of the postponement issue and the discussions about the Quba pitch factor may affect the team's psychological preparation.
"Newcastle" is not doing well in the Premier League. They have reached this stage in the Champions League after many years, and this tournament may be their last chance to save the season. Even the probability of staying out of the Champions League next season is high. Therefore, this game is of great importance for the "magpies".
In terms of squad and potential, "Newcastle" is a team suitable for higher places in the English Premier League. Especially the wingers are very fast. In the attack line, after Isaak's transfer to Liverpool, the previous stability is not felt. However, the team has wide rotation possibilities.
This does not mean that "Qarabag" has no chance against "Newcastle". No matter how much the conditions are in favor of "Newcastle", if the sporting luck is a little bit on "Qarabag's" side, another miracle may happen. A new miracle can happen within the miracle of the play-off stage," he said in his statement to offsideplus.az.
Note that the meeting will start today at 21:45 at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. The return match will be held in England in the night from February 24 to 25, at 00:00.
