Rashad Sadigov: "Hayduk is stronger in terms of reserve forces"

"Every team has strengths and weaknesses. Just like them, so do we. But one of the surprising aspects is that Hayduk's Spanish head coach has completely changed the team's game philosophy. The players are more disciplined and more eager. You could feel that from the first game. Both teams want to pass the stage. I think we will have an interesting game".

Idman.biz reports that these words were said by Zira's head coach Rashad Sadigov in his statement to CBC Sport before leaving for Croatia for the match against Hayduk in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.

The 43-year-old specialist emphasized that Hayduk is superior to Zira in terms of reserve forces: "Currently, neither team can be in ideal physical shape. We are playing the second game of the season. We also saw in the second half of the match in Baku that the dynamics had dropped. This is due to the beginning of the season, as well as the weather conditions. At such a moment, the reserve force comes into play. In that regard, the opponent has an advantage. Their application lists are wider, and 4-5 of their trainees play in the main team. We also have injuries. In short, the reserve force seems stronger in the opponent. But we will try to do our best with the opportunities we have".

Speaking about the first match in Baku (1:1), Sadigov said that they did not lag behind Hayduk: "Our successful performance last season has further increased the players' self-confidence. We saw this in the first half of the match in Baku. We almost didn't allow the opponent to raise their head throughout the field. But after the break, a different game went on. I wouldn't say the opponent played better, just that the pressing of both teams dropped. We took the lead in the last 10-15 minutes. We were the side closer to scoring. Two worthy opponents are fighting against each other. The first match showed that both teams analyzed each other well".

It should be noted that the Hayduk - Zira match, which will be held on July 31, will start at 23:00 Baku time.

Idman.biz