Idman.biz
"Motivation is high within the club."
Idman.Biz reports that these words were said by "Qarabag" president Tahir Gozel in his statement to journalists before the game with "Newcastle".
"A person should do what they can. We will do what we can. You can all be sure that the motivation inside the club is at a high level. "Qarabag" is such a beautiful, sacred family... We are a fighting team, we have a fighting spirit. If we are fortunate enough to win the championship, we will fight in the Champions League. If not, in the Europa League or the Conference League."
As part of the UEFA Champions League play-off stage, the match between "Qarabag" and "Newcastle" will start on February 18 at 21:45 at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium. The return match will take place in England on the night of February 24-25 at 00:00.
The club president called reaching the UEFA Champions League play-off stage a "miracle":
"Many clubs in Europe have bigger budgets than us. We are in the "top 24" among more than 2000 clubs. This is a miracle. We are all proud. "Qarabag" plays on a tight schedule. Although the players are tired, the motivation is high. We know the importance of tomorrow's game. The opponent's budget is several times bigger than ours. We cannot say what the result will be. We have reached this stage thanks to our great head coach Gurban Gurbanov, the players, President Ilham Aliyev, and the support of our people."
Tahir Gozel also touched upon the fight in the Azerbaijan Premier League.
"If "Qarabag"'s goal is Europe, there will be a loss on one side at this pace. This is a fact, we must accept it. Both the Champions League and domestic championship games are very difficult for our players. We play a game every three days. This has an effect. There is also development in our clubs. "Sabah" itself is a miracle. They have built a great team. They are a very strong opponent. So is "Neftchi". Quality is already increasing in the Azerbaijan Premier League as well. But when you see the condition of the stadium in Guba, you get a little disappointed. If we want to raise the level of football in Azerbaijan, the infrastructure must be improved. "Qarabag" should have a very good infrastructure in 3-4 years. As the club president, this is my dream. Other clubs should also strive for this," he said.
