Ramon Maçado: “The games with "Aris" are like a final”

Interview of Ramon Maçado, a football player of the "Araz-Nakhchivan" club, which continues its training camp in Erzurum, Turkey, to AZERTAC

- How are your preparations going in Turkey?

- Our preparations are proceeding according to plan. We play friendly games and train twice a day. The weather is very hot here, but we compensate for this difficulty with proper nutrition and fluid intake. I believe we are on the right track.

- You will face the Greek representative "Aris" in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. "Araz-Nakhchivan" will play its debut match in European cups with this team. How do you assess your chances against the opponent?

- A very difficult game awaits us. But we never forget the effort we put in to qualify for the European Cups in the Premier League. We worked hard for a year to be able to play in Europe today. It was not easy to get here. We understand that it will be even more difficult afterwards. We will do our best in both home and away matches to advance to the next stage.

- Have you analyzed the opponent?

- No, we haven't analyzed it yet. Currently, our focus is only on our own team. We are trying to get stronger both physically and psychologically. We also have enough time and a chance to pass the stage to analyze the opponent.

- Games between Azerbaijani and Greek clubs often take place in a tense environment. How do you plan to keep this tension under control during the meetings?

- This stage is like a final - the winner will continue, and the loser will stop fighting. This creates additional tension. But we know what we will face and we must be prepared for it. We all know very well that it will not be easy.

- What are your goals in the Azerbaijan Premier League?

- Our overall goal is to be at the top of the tournament table again and qualify for the European Cups again.

İdman.biz