Idman.biz
"Two worthy teams that performed consistently throughout the season have reached the final. In my opinion, the chances of the parties are equal. The fate of the meeting may be determined more by tactical moves and the first goal conceded."
These words were said by the former head coach of the Azerbaijani national team, Shahin Diniyev, while talking about the final match between "Sabah" and "Zira" teams, which will be held today in the Azerbaijan Cup.
According to the expert, "Sabah", which secured the championship in the Premier League, will try to end the season with another title.
"The team has already proven its strength in the championship. Now they have a good chance to end the season with a 'golden double' and I think they will try to make the most of it," he said in a statement to AZERTAC.
Sh.Diniyev stated that for "Zira" this match is not only a cup, but also the shortest way to European cups:
"This game is the team's most realistic chance to qualify for European cups. Their situation in the championship is not as they would like. "Neftchi" is currently 3 points ahead of them. For this reason, the cup final is considered a decisive match for "Zira". I think that the players will feel both the responsibility and the motivation at a high level."
He also touched upon the teams' playing styles:
"The interesting point is that "Sabah", which has the most productive attack line of the championship, will play against "Zira", which has the most reliable defense. From this point of view, we will watch not only the players, but also the tactical struggle of the coaches on the field. I think that the teams will not show open football from the first minutes. I think both teams will play cautious football."
The veteran football player also emphasized that the first goal can have a serious impact on the fate of the match: "In the final matches, the first goal changes a lot. The losing side inevitably starts to take risks, which creates gaps in the game. Therefore, I think that the teams will act more carefully in the first half. In general, I expect the final to be tense, in a tactical struggle and with few goal episodes."
It should be noted that the match "Sabah" - "Zira", which will be held at "Palms Sports Arena", will start at 20:00. The last winner of the national cup is the "Sabah" team.
