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Interview with Samir Aliyev, former head coach of the U-21 national team, on futbolinfo.az
– "Qarabag" will meet the winner of the "Shelbourne" – "Linfield" pair in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Which of these teams would you like our champion to face? Will "Qarabag" be able to pass this stage easily?
– Whether it is "Shelbourne" or "Linfield", they are undesirable opponents for "Qarabag". Because they have different playing styles. They prefer more power football and try to make the most of standard situations. However, "Qarabag" is a more experienced team and has been playing in the group stage of European Cups for years. In this regard, it doesn't matter for "Qarabag" which one it faces, the chance of passing the stage is high.
– "Sabah" will face "Celje" (Slovenia) in the 1st qualifying round of the Europa League. How much chance does the capital club have to achieve a successful result under the leadership of the new head coach?
– As you know, "Celje" was remembered last season for its successful performance in European Cups. They advanced to the 1/4 finals of the Conference League, but could not pass the "Fiorentina" barrier in that stage. Unlike "Sabah", their famous Spanish head coach Albert Riyera has been leading the team since 2023. In "Sabah", the newly appointed Lithuanian specialist Valdas Dambrauskas has managed to make a name for himself outside his country. Last season, he played in the League stage of European Cups. He has to instill his playing style in "Sabah" in a short time. The opponent is strong, but "Sabah" also has good potential, with players with high individual qualities in the squad. In this regard, interesting games await us.
– What are your expectations from "Zira", which will face "Hajduk" in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League?
– "Zira"'s opponent is one of the well-known clubs in Croatia. They took 3rd place in the Croatian championship and were only 2 points behind the champion "Rijeka". This shows the strength of the opponent. However, "Zira" was also remembered last season for its successful performance in European Cups and eliminated the Croatian representative "Osijek" from the tournament. I believe that "Zira" will fight well in these two matches and be the team that passes the stage.
– "Araz-Nakhchivan" will face Greek "Aris" in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. This will be the debut for the Nakhchivan representative in European Cups…
– Although the Nakhchivan representative does not have European Cup experience as a team, it has experienced players in its squad. Moreover, looking at the transfers made this summer, "Araz-Nakhchivan" seems ambitious to pass the stage in European Cups. The opponent is one of the established clubs in Greece and has a large fan base. We have seen several times before that Azerbaijani clubs have defeated Greek representatives in European Cups. It will be difficult, but not impossible.
– You once lived as a legionnaire in Ukraine and Russia. What can you say about Mahir Emreli's transfer to "Kaiserslautern" and other few players living as legionnaires? Which Azerbaijani football players do you expect to go abroad this summer?
– The number of our football players with high potential and who can go to Europe is very small today. I don't believe that the local football players in "Qarabag"'s squad will leave the team this year, because their chances of playing in the group stage of European Cups are high. Looking at the squads of our other clubs, there is no young and potential football player who can follow in Mahir Emreli's footsteps yet. There may be those who leave, but it depends on which league and which team they will move to.
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