"There is a good side to playing against such opponents."
This was stated by Sasha Yunisoglu, the former defender of the Azerbaijani national team, in his interview with sportal.az.
We present this interview.
- The Azerbaijani national team is waiting for the games of the "FIFA series" tournament. You are probably familiar with the national team's squad. What is your opinion about the squad, was anyone left out?
- There are no surprises in the national team's squad. It is an expected squad. There are not so many players who play regularly in their clubs in our championship at the moment. The choice is not great either. I think those who are currently in the national team are the best.
- The Azerbaijani national team is waiting for a match against Saint Lucia. How do you assess our national team's chances in that match?
- Frankly, I'm hearing the name of this country for the first time. I don't even know what place they are in the FIFA ranking. I also don't know who they played against before. I don't think this team is that strong. I think our national team will win by a large score in this game.
- Our national team is in 126th place. Saint Lucia is 167th, and Sierra Leone is 120th. What results can the meeting with these opponents give our national team?
- There is a good side to playing against such opponents. The coach can test the newly invited players, and if the team wins, it will be good motivation for the future. Because our national team lacks the feeling of victory.
- What do you think, were there any players left out of the national team? There are few Azerbaijanis playing abroad. Among them, Ozancan Kokcu can be noted. Although Ozancan Kokcu plays in the Dutch top league, he was not invited to the national team. What do you think, why wasn't he invited?
- I don't know why Kokcu was invited to our national team. Aykhan Abbasov can probably answer this question more accurately.
- Shahhruddin Mahammadaliyev's invitation to the national team was much discussed. Because he was injured and not fully recovered, and he doesn't even play for Qarabag...
- Only Aykhan Abbasov can answer this question. I think that Shahhruddin was called to the national team to motivate him because he is the main goalkeeper of our national team. They can also benefit from his experience. I don't think there is a need to exaggerate this issue too much.
- The Azerbaijani national team will face the national teams of Liechtenstein and Lithuania in the League of Nations. How do you assess our national team's chances in this group?
- It is a good and interesting group. These are opponents that suit our level. Our national team must get out of this group. Because there will be no lower-level opponents in the League of Nations than this. I am sure that our national team will defeat both opponents and rise 1 step in the tournament.